LUCKNOW: Protests by students of BHU’s Sanskrit Vidya Dharam Vijnan (SVDV) over the appointment of Prof Firoz Khan as an assistant professor of Sanskrit literature may die down soon as another opening has emerged for the professor in the Ayurveda department of the Institute of Medical Sciences (IMS) in the same university.
Prof Khan had applied for the post of assistant professor of Sanskrit in the Ayurveda department of the IMS and now his name tops the list of merit holders who will be interviewed on November 29. If Prof Khan is selected following the interview, he will resign from the SVDV.
Talk over another opportunity coming Prof Khan’s way gained ground after the list of meritorious candidates shortlisted for interviews for the post of assistant professor in the Ayurveda department was uploaded on the BHU website on Friday night.
The protesting students had ended their dharna on Friday evening after the SVDV students announced that they were putting off their sit-in for the next 10 days after varsity authorities assured they would give a satisfactory response to their queries over the Prof Khan’s appointment.
However, they decided to boycott their classes and examinations till their demands were met by the university administration. They took out a protest march to the local PMO office in Varanasi from the Singh Dwar of their campus to hand over a memorandum addressed to the PM on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) has also stepped in to defuse the situation. Sanghchalak (in charge) of Kashi Prant (region) Dr Jai Prakash Lal condemned the controversy over Prof Khan kicked up by SVDV students saying opposition to the appointment of a person following due selection process was unfounded if it was done on the basis of faith.
Another prominent RSS member Dr Vijay Karna, associated with Bhau Rao Devras Sewa Nyas, said the Sangh firmly believed that anyone appointed after fulfilling the norms and ready to teach Sanskrit with dedication should not be opposed. “Any Muslim who has studied Sanskrit with such merit should be praised. Objection to his appointment was totally wrong,” he said.