Ambedkar University professors hold talk on casteism outside entry gate after speaker denied entry

New Delhi, Aug 23 (PTI) Ambedkar University on Friday refused entry to former DUTA president Nandita Narain on campus for a talk on gender and caste based discrimination in educational institutes, prompting the faculty members to organise the event outside the main gate, the varsity's faculty association alleged.

Narain was invited by the Ambedkar University Delhi Faculty Association (AUDFA) to deliver an address on the occasion of an ongoing protest by them against their several long-standing issues, including alleged “punishment transfers” of faculty, demotion, and discrimination, among others.

The teacher association organised a vigil week on campus which concluded on Thursday.

"Today’s call was for a lecture on caste and gender discrimination in higher education Institutions and AUDFA invited professor Nandita Narain and Asha Sharma, Delhi Secretary, AIDWA to deliver a talk on this issue,” a member of the AUDFA said.

The member further alleged that “the administration denied permission to conduct the programme and the speakers were stopped at the gate of the university and were denied entry”.

“AUDFA strongly condemns this undemocratic decision of AUD administration which goes against the spirit of the Constitution," the member said. When contacted, Ambedkar University Vice-chancellor Anu Singh Lather said there was no permission obtained from the administration to hold the event.

"There is a system to invite people to the university or organise an event on campus which is followed everywhere. The AUDFA had given a call for the event without informing us. They also did not seek approval to allow the visitor to address on campus," she told PTI.

"I have already met the protesting professors and addressed their concerns. There's no point why they should still continue the protest," Lather added. Another senior official claimed that the university administration has received complaints from several faculty members against the AUDFA president and the female professor in whose support the association has been staging protests alleging caste-based discrimination faced by her.

Responding to the allegation and calling it an "unwarranted attempt to distract the attention from the raised issues", a member of the AUDFA, who wished to be anonymous said, "This is just mudslinging tactics on the office bearers without any written proof.” “At the moment the entire AUDFA team is in the thick of its struggle to fight against serious issues of gender and caste-based harassment and punishment transfers inflicted on staff and faculty. Instead of executing corrective action on the serious issues flagged by the association, attention is being distracted by maligning the image of AUDFA and its committee members," the member said.

She further said after a meeting of the association with the VC held on August 16, she had asked the transferred faculty to meet her on August 28 .

"The aggrieved faculty is of the view that this delay is detrimental to her mental health," the member added.

Sharing a video of the incident on her social media handle Facebook, Narain wrote, "I'm at the entry gate of Ambedkar University. They (security guards) have been given instructions not to let me in. I've come here as a visitor on the invitation of the AUDFA President. Is this university part of India?" "A talk had been scheduled but the authorities objected saying that permission had not been given for the venue. Since I was already here, the office bearers just asked me to come and have a cup of tea with them. Even for this, the security has been instructed not to let my car in from any gate. Normally, all visitors are allowed to come in and park in a designated place," she added.

Later, the AUDFA conducted the scheduled programme outside the main gate of the university, she said.

The AUDFA has been protesting on campus since last two weeks demanding fulfilment of their charter of demands which includes revocation of "punishment transfers" of faculty and sacking of Deans and Board of Management members accused of sexual and caste-based harassment of two female faculties. PTI SJJ SJJ NB NB