To,
The Vice Chancellor,
The M.S. University of Baroda,
Baroda.
Sir,
We, on behalf of All India Democratic Students’ Organisation (All India D.S.O.) express shock and condemn the entry of police in the University campus, vandalism by so called “moral -cultural police” – led by Niraj Jain in the faculty of Fine Arts on 9/5/2007. It is deplorable that despite your present in the office at the time of incident, instead of providing moral support to the students at the time of crisis, you and your office remain silent observer. The inaction on your part in the University and police station has shattered the faith of student community on you.
You know that the examination process and display of work has been going on. In such a crucial time, when peace should be maintained, then how could police and anti – social elements enter in the university campus and could terrorize the university students and staff? We believe that any work of art is a matter of academic discussion and could be discussed in a democratic manner. But any kind of vandalism to impose one’s opinion upon another is highly undemocratic and unconstitutional. When your office ought to safeguard academic sanctity and democratic atmosphere in the campus, police is entering in the fine arts faculty is highly shocking for the education loving community. The above incident has risen following questions which you must reply in public.
a) Before police entry in the University campus had police informed you and if informed then had university sent any concerned official to monitor the entire incident?
b) If any concerned authority had been sent by the University then how such vandalism could have been taken place in the fine arts faculty by the extra constitutional authorities and self imposed cultural police?
c) If your office had not been informed by the concerned police officers before entering into the university premises and arresting the concerned student, then why you had not lodged a complaint against the responsible police officers to the commissioner of police?
d) Despite your presence in the University office, instead of providing any moral support in this hour of crisis to students and teachers of the faculty of fine arts, neither you nor any other official was present in the Faculty and police station. Rather registrar’s act of sealing the display rooms and stalling the display was extremely terrifying for the students. According to University procedure whenever such legal action takes place concerning any students or teachers, the Registrar should be present and ought to handle the matter himself, then why he had not seen at all in the police station?
Thus by referring to the above-mentioned questions, we demand that the university authority should lodge a legal complaint against those responsible for vandalism in the university campus.
Thanking you,
Yours,
(Mukesh Semwal), President
All India D.S.O, Vadodara District Committee
Copy to :
1) The Governor of Gujarat.
2) The Chairperson, UGC, New Delhi.
3) The HRD Ministry, Govt. of India, New Delhi.
ALL INDIA DEMOCRATIC STUDENTS’ ORGANISATION
(ALL INDIA D.S.O.)
16/126, G.H.B. Colony, Akota Road, Vadodara – 390020. Ph: (0265) 2351418.
E-mail: [email protected]