Chhattisgarh: Varsity VC asks litterateur to leave seminar; triggers protests by writers, activists

Bilaspur, Jan 8 (PTI) Writers and activists on Thursday condemned Vice-Chancellor Alok Kumar Chakrawal of Guru Ghasidas Central University in Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur district for berating a litterateur and asking him to leave a national seminar midway.

The incident took place on Wednesday during the one-day national seminar on 'Samkalin Hindi Kahani : Badalte Jeevan Sandarbh (Contemporary Hindi Story: Changing Life Contexts) jointly organised by Sahitya Academy and the university in the presence of eminent writers, poets and literary figures from across the country.

A video of the incident, which went viral on social media, showed VC Chakrawal, while delivering his address, asking invited writer Manoj Rupda, seated in the front row, whether he was getting bored. In response, Rupda reportedly said Chakrawal should speak on the topic, which appeared to anger the latter.

In the video, Chakrawal is heard saying Rupda lacked the sense of how to speak to a Vice-Chancellor and questioned who had invited him. He then asked Rupda to leave the programme and said he should not be invited again. The video showed Rupda immediately leaving the auditorium.

When contacted on Thursday, Chakrawal told PTI that Rupda seemed uncomfortable and uninterested during the programme.

"I spoke to him in a normal manner. I do not want to give the issue more importance and wish to close the matter," he said.

Reacting to the incident, writer Rupda told PTI that it was the insult of the "entire literary community".

"What can I say about the humiliating incident that happened with me yesterday at Guru Ghasidas University in Bilaspur? I haven't said anything in protest yet, and I won't. Because this is not a personal insult to me; it is an insult to the entire literary community".

Regarding the protests by writers following the incident, Rupda said they are feeling more insulted than him.

"I personally have no ill intention towards the Vice-Chancellor. But the protests happening now are not just against the Vice-Chancellor; they are against that entire mindset. A mindset that is constantly harassing people associated with art and literature." Rupda said.

"The Vice-Chancellor should introspect on the damage caused to the dignity of his office and the reputation of the university. To my knowledge, this is perhaps the first time a university VC has publicly humiliated an invited writer," he said.

Rupda added he would have apologised had anyone claimed he had behaved rudely.

Members of the Jan Sanskriti Manch, who were present at the seminar, condemned the incident.

"This incident reflects the lack of respect for literature, art, and culture in Chhattisgarh. Manoj Rupda had come at the invitation of the Sahitya Akademi and the university," the Manch's Bilaspur unit president Mudit Mishra said.

Rupda has a deep connection with Chhattisgarh, having spent a considerable amount of time in Durg-Bhilai, although he now lives in Nagpur and continues his literary work, Mishra pointed out.

Members of Jan Sanskriti Manch in Durg-Bhilai, Raipur, Ambikapur, Dhamtari and Bilaspur sought Chakrawal's removal, while a group of writers held a protest near the statue of Dr B R Ambedkar at Ambedkar Chowk in Raipur. PTI COR TKP BNM