Editor Mr.Mayank Rawat ( Chief Editor Mr. Rohit Mishra )
New Delhi: A circular issued by Delhi School of Journalism (DSJ), mandating attendance for an event attended by BJP national general secretary Sunil Bansal, has drawn criticism from several students and teachers. The circular warned that students abstaining from the event will face disciplinary action.
“The presence of all students is mandatory, particularly during the valedictory ceremony at 3pm (where Bansal was scheduled to address) and no exceptions will be entertained. Failure to comply with these instructions will result in strict disciplinary action,” the circular stated.
The event, organised as the second edition of the Swami Vivekananda Memorial National Debate, included a special address on “One Nation, One Election”, held on April 2 at the Convention Hall at Vice Regal Lodge. Bansal was invited as the chief guest.
The circular stated, “All students must report sharp at 9am. A roll call will be conducted and any late arrival or absence will be noted.”
It emphasised mandatory attendance throughout the programme, during which Bansal was scheduled to speak at 3pm, cautioning strict disciplinary measures against non-compliance. “This event holds utmost importance for the institution and your presence is strictly mandatory,” the circular stated, adding, “All students must remain present for the entire duration.”
Opposing the compulsory attendance, DUSU president Ronak Khatri staged a demonstration outside the event on Wednesday and accused the DU administration of promoting the governing party. “They (administration) should be ashamed of threatening students with disciplinary action if they don’t attend BJP’s event. Govts come and go, but making the event compulsory is sheer dictatorship,” Khatri said.
Pankaj Garg, a faculty member at DU, said, “The university may invite ministers and member of parliament to their events. But inviting BJP dignitaries makes no sense and only reflects their intention of promoting saffronisation on campus. The mandatory attendance for the event is totally unfair.”
Earlier, controversy erupted after a purported video surfaced on internet recently in which college director Bharati Gore was heard telling students, “Joote se peetungi, keep quiet.” The students were protesting the alleged lack of facilities on campus despite substantial fees.
“Despite paying hefty amounts of Rs 80,000 in fees, we are provided with poor infrastructure, no books in library and limited seating capacity, and no WiFi or functioning AC in classrooms. We had raised these issues before the director and demanded transparency in the funds utilised. But the director threatened us that she would call our family and thrash us in front of them,” claimed Anant Tiwari, a second-year student.
On the row over mandatory attendance, Gore said, “The topic of the event, ‘One Nation, One Election’, is part of the students’ assessment and, hence, attendance was made compulsory. All the students were duly informed about it by the teachers in classes.”
On the remarks in the video, Gore said she was instigated by the students. “Some of them were continuously passing derogatory remarks at me for the past 15 days. I retaliated to their comments against a woman, and I stand by it,” she added.
Mayank Rawat
