Date:02/01/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/01/02/stories/2008010255181200.htm

New Delhi

Students make bonfire of panel report

Manas Dasgupta

VADODARA: The year 2007 ended for the students of the faculty of fine arts of the reputed Maharaja Sayajirao University in Vadodara with a bonfire of the “grossly one-sided report” of the university fact-finding committee set up earlier to inquire into the alleged vandalism by the faculty members.

As a symbolic protest, the students on Monday made a bonfire of the 40-page report that held the faculty members guilty of indiscipline while holding the actions of the university authorities proper in suspending the then acting dean of the faculty, Shivaji Panikkar.

Though the report was submitted sometime back, the immediate provocation for the students to make the bonfire was a charge-sheet issued by the university authorities against a teacher in the history department, Iftikhar Ahmed, who had then supported the cause of the fine arts faculty on the ground of freedom of expression guaranteed under the Constitution.

Students’ claim

The charge-sheet was ostensibly issued to Mr. Ahmed for forming an organisation to champion the cause of the autonomy for the university, but the students maintained that it was apparently issued because of his support to the fine arts faculty to the dislike of the university authorities.

The students also claimed that the authorities had resumed action on the report because of the return to power of the Narendra Modi government in Gujarat with a massive victory in the State Assembly elections. The university Vice-Chancellor, Manoj Soni, a hand-picked choice of Mr. Modi during his last tenure, was alleged to be a RSS sympathiser.

The trouble in the faculty that started on the eve of the final examinations for the last academic year, continued through the entire calendar year causing repeated disruptions in the academic activities.

The problem arose from the paintings of a final year student from Hyderabad, Chandra Mohan, for allegedly depicting some Hindu Gods and Goddesses in some “objectionable poses.” A group of Parivar activists led by a local BJP leader, Niraj Jain, had ransacked the faculty exhibition hall and on his complaint, Chandra Mohan, and one of his friends from the faculty, were arrested by the police for hurting the religious sentiments of the Hindus.

Mr. Panikkar, who maintained that the exhibition was not meant for public display but only for assessing the work of the students for final examinations, took strong exception to the vandalism by the Parivar activists, and wanted the university authorities to lodge police complaint against Mr. Niraj Jain. The university Vice-Chancellor instead got the faculty exhibition hall sealed and even refused to initiate any step to get Chandra Mohan and his friend released from the police custody.