The controversy surrounding the appointment of Feroze Khan as the Assistant Professor in the faculty of Sanskrit Vidya Dharma Vigyan of BHU continues to rage on as the SVDV students remain resolute in opposing the varsity administration’s decision. Even as the 10-day deferment sought by the administration from the students to resolve the issue draws to an end, the protesting students have stated that they will boycott the exams and classes until the issue is settled.
The student’s protest against the appointment of Feroze Khan is gaining strength as eminent personalities have rallied behind the students in their demands. The protest has found support from several quarters with many Acharyas, Shankaracharyas, Banaras Education Council, Dharmasangha Education Group, former Professors as well as the saints from Ayodhya and Swami Raghvacharya who is associated with the birthplace of Ram, Mahants committed to protecting Hinduism backing the protest mounted by the students.
However, the administration has remained tight-lipped about its decision on the controversy. Reports suggest that Dr Feroz Khan’s interview is going on for recruitment in other Sanskrit departments of the BHU. Yesterday (29 November 2019) Dr Khan was interviewed for Associate Professor in the Sanskrit Department of Ayurveda. The interview was shifted to the VC guest house instead of Holkar Bhavan to avoid the protest staged by the students. The administration provided security to Dr Khan and shifted him to VC guest house to protect him from the outraging students. Dr Feroze’s another interview at the Faculty of Arts is lined up for December 4.
An Executive meeting to take cognizance of the entire matter is scheduled on December 7. The BHU students are hopeful that the administration will concede to their demands and an amicable resolution to the matter will be achieved. However, the students do not want to be complacent about their demands and therefore the demonstration continued even after the administration ended the 15-day sit-in protest. Now, students of other departments have also come out in support of the SVDV students agitating against the candidature of Dr Feroze Khan for teaching Sanskrit in the theology department.
In order to shake the conscience of the defunct administration, yesterday the students of the Birla hostel of the Faculty of Arts, as a mark of symbolic protest, carried out a funeral procession of the administration. Abhishek Singh, a student of the Faculty of Arts, told Opindia, “To protect the values of Mahamana and to support the movement of SVDV students in opposition to the administration’s anti-Sanatan practices, we are taking out the funeral procession of the Vice-Chancellor.” Hundreds of students from Birla Hostel, including Utkarsh, Mrityunjay Tiwari, joined the SVDV’s Shubham Tiwari, Anand Mohan Jha, Shashikant Mishra.
#SVDV के छात्रों के समर्थन में धर्म और मालवीय मूल्यों की रक्षा के लिए चलाए जा रहे आन्दोलन को गति देने के लिए बिरला छात्रावास के छात्रों ने कुलपति का पुतला दहन कर अपना आक्रोश व्यक्त किया। अभिषेक सिंह ,उत्कर्ष, मृत्युंजय तिवारी सहित कई छात्र शामिल हुए।#BHU #firozekhan pic.twitter.com/xuXuPjYjhJ
— Ravi Agrahari (@Ravibhu09) November 29, 2019
Dr Munish Mishra said, “We have a method of protest but there are students of other faculties who are out on the streets in our support. We respect their spirit. Whatever be the method, the objective of everyone is to protect the religion and principles propounded by Malviya.
Earlier on 29th November, the students of SVDV had written a letter addressed to Prime Minister Modi and Ministry of Human Resource Development for a high-level inquiry into the values of Mahamana, the preservation of Sanatan tradition and the appointment of Feroz Khan and the protection of Sanatan Dharma and Culture. In the past too, many Acharyas, distinguished citizens, professors, and others have written to the President Ramnath Kovind, requesting for an intervention in the ongoing issue.
महामना मूल्यों, सनातन परम्परा की रक्षा, फिरोज खान की नियुक्ति की उच्चस्तरीय जाँच के लिए तथा सनातन धर्म और संस्कृति की रक्षा के लिए संस्कृत विद्या धर्म विज्ञान संकाय के छात्रों ने प्रधानमंत्री और मानव संसाधन विकास मंत्रालय #HRD को पत्र लिखा। #SVDV #BHU #ferozekhan pic.twitter.com/uDukKYsYCm
— Ravi Agrahari (@Ravibhu09) November 30, 2019
With a legion of lies and distortions doing the rounds on the Internet, the university administration has issued an official statement on behalf of Dr Feroze. In the statement issued, Dr Feroze affirmed to the Malviya values, to serve BHU and exhorted media to not engage in spreading lies about the issue.
When asked about how do the BHU students plan to protest today (30 November), Shashikant Mishra told Opindia, “Today there is a program in which all the deities present in the campus will be garlanded and worshipped starting with the Shiva temple in Ruia hostel.”
It is noteworthy to mention that the student movement continues undeterred. Most students claim that they will not give up the protest until the university administration orders the transfer of Dr Feroz Khan from Sanskrit Vidya Dharma Vigyan to other faculty departments. They have also warned that if the administration reneges on its promise, they are prepared for initiating a large-scale protest.
