Dalit student’s novel protest against prof’s remarks
It was an day at Rajasthan University on Thursday when a Dalit student, Raj Tepan, came on horseback with his supporters and a musical band following him up to the vicechancellor’s office. Reason: Dalit students wanted to prove that the derogatory remarks made by their ‘guru’ PD Sharma were baseless.
Not just this, the agitating Dalit students demanded immediate arrest of Sharma, a retired university professor. They gave a memorandum to vice-chancellor AD Sawant to withdraw facilities given to Sharma, including pension and staff residential quarters.
Tepan said the motive for the drama was to teach a lesson to their professor who still believed that Dalit students were downtrodden and got no respect in the society. “Considering the remark, Sharma made at a seminar that “Dalits shouldn’t be allowed to ride a horse”, I decided to prove him wrong by coming to university on horseback along with a musical band,” he said.
A student of MA first year, Tepan, who claims to have been present at the seminar, said it was shocking to know that faculty members of reputed institution had such a mindset.
While meeting the vicechancellor, the students demanded that Sharma should apologize in public as he made remarks in seminar due to which the sentiment of Dalits were hurt. A similar memorandum was submitted to Circle Officer (Gandhi Nagar) Anil Rao in which they demanded Sharma’s arrest within three days.
Student leader Sunil Khatik alleged the police was not taking action against the guilty teacher and said a case was filed against PD Sharma after two days only when students’ group met a minister and were assured about action in the case. “If he is not arrested within three days, a statewide agitation will be launched to press the demands,” he said.
On Monday, a seminar was held on the occasion of foundation day of Social Science Research Centre in university campus during which a special lecture was delivered by PD Sharma. Soon after Sharma’s remarks on Dalits, students gathered and stopped the event and the premises were ransacked.
On Wednesday, Gandhi Nagar police registered a case on the complaints of students Lal Chand Verma and Raj Tepan while RU vice-chancellor AD Sawant issued an order to immediately relieve director and deputy director of Social Science Research Center (SSRC) from the assignment.
Professor says ‘sorry’:
Protests at Rajasthan University came to an end after Professor P D Sharma apologized to the students for over his anti-Dalit remarks at a meeting held under the chairmanship of food and civil supply minister Babulal Nagar on Thursday evening.
Narsee Kirad, general secretary of university students’ union, said he got a call from Sharma’s aide for a meeting to resolve the issue.
During the three-hour meeting, Sharma apologized to the students for his remark, which according to him was not intentional.
Source: The Times of India dt 15.10.2010
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