‘Attack on DU professor was in retaliation to disciplinary action’

Contrary to widely-held belief, the attack on Umesh Rai, director of South Campus, Delhi University, by Raju Rawat, DUSU joint secretary, was a result of the administration’s decision to rusticate the student union leader.

  

It was earlier believed that the attack was due to Rai’s alleged remarks against BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. Anticipating rustication, as a result of prior complaints of violence, Rawat vandalized Umesh Rai’s office and attacked him.

Sources say there was no discussion on Modi at all and Rawat concocted the story to save himself. Incidentally, the assaulted professor is known to be close to the Sangh Parivar. It was earlier reported that the ruckus took place on the Four-Year University Programme (FYUP), which Rawat insisted should be scrapped. He then assaulted the professor when Rai said the decision was not his to take.

 

Rawat had also manhandled another professor in the university on the same day approximately 45 minutes before assaulting the South Delhi Campus director. Raju Rawat physically assaulted deputy director (North) of the School of Open Learning and also vandalised his office. There is also a charge against him for vandalising the office of the deputy registrar of finance three months ago. Reacting to the incident of Monday, the AVBP expelled Rawat from the organisation.

Meanwhile, the Principals’ Association and the deans of various faculties from Delhi University expressed deep concern and condemned the attack. These bodies said that such actions on the part of students on a teacher and university officials were totally unacceptable. The incident drew instant criticism from the several deans and professors of the university, who wrote to the vice chancellor expressing their condemnation.

Registrar of the University of Delhi, Alka Sharma commenting on the incident said, ‘The attack and the media blitzkrieg that followed appears to have been well-planned by Raju Rawat and his associates in retaliation to the disciplinary action being taken by the University in pursuance of an inquiry set up against his act of gross indiscipline in attacking university employees and vandalising university property in the Finance Branch of the University on 2 January 2014.’