On Saturday (October 9), a human rights advocate and a lawyer named Shruti Pandey courted controversy after she claimed that all Hindus practise untouchability. Pandey is an Associate professor of Legal Practice and Director of the Centre for Human Rights at the Jindal Global Law School.
In a video that has now gone viral on social media, Shruti Pandey was heard as saying, “My professor Upendra Bakshi, who taught in the law school, used to say that every Hindu practices untouchability…Initially, when he said that, I didn’t think so… But it is true, guys. Go back and look at yourself and how you practice untouchability in quiet, invisible ways that we don’t even understand.
She further remarked, “It is internalised like gender. So, it stayed with me that every Hindu practices untouchability.” Citing her Professor, Shruti Pandey alleged that Hinduism exists because of untouchability. “That’s a conversation for another day – the intersection between caste and Hinduism,” she added.
Statements by #ShrutiPandey (Associate Professor Legal Practice and Director of the Centre for Human Rights at Jindal Global Law School) in the video:Prof.Shruti Pandey quoting a scholar,“You cannot be a Hindu without being a practitioner,every Hindu practices untouchability.(1/n pic.twitter.com/8cQFRTet5q
— Matam Mayurnath🇮🇳🚩✍️ (@Mayurmatam) October 9, 2021
Following her rant, the lawyer went on to heap praises on Islam and its ‘acceptability’ of widow remarriage. “We know that this is definitely something where Hinduism has a special rule, because widow remarriage is much more acceptable in Islam. And sorry for those of you who believe that Islam is an inferior religion because this is one of the ways in which it shows that it is not.”
She concluded, “It (Islam) does not believe that widows don’t have the right to marry again. It is very common and socially acceptable.”
We know that this is definitely something where Hinduism has a special rule, because widow remarriage is much more acceptable in Islam. And sorry for those of you who believe that Islam is an inferior religion because this is one of the ways in which it shows that it is not. (3/3
— Matam Mayurnath🇮🇳🚩✍️ (@Mayurmatam) October 9, 2021
The video of Pandey’s viral rant was shared on social media by an LLB graduate and BJP sevak named Matam Mayurnath. It is not yet clear when exactly Pandey made these claims in the video.
After the video of Shruti Pandey went viral on social media, many questioned whether the Founding Chancellor of the University Naveen Jindal, endorses her views. Columnist Shefali Vaidya questioned Jindal whether he, too, practices untouchability.
Hi Mr @MPNaveenJindal you seem to be a practising Hindu. As a founding chancellor of @JindalLaw do you endorse the Hindumisia of Shruti Pandey-Director of Dept of Human Rights and says that ‘If you are a Hindu, you are practising untouchability’. Do YOU practise untouchability? https://t.co/NwX2lxuJFC
— Shefali Vaidya. 🇮🇳 (@ShefVaidya) October 10, 2021
As per the cached version of OP Jindal Global University’s website, her bio says, “Prof. Shruti Pandey is Associate Professor of Legal Practice and Director of Centre for Human Rights at the Jindal Global Law School. She has been a human…” At the time of writing, the webpage stands deleted.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Shruti Pandey has been working at the OP Jindal Global University since July 2018. An LLB graduate from Law Faculty at Delhi University, she completed her masters in 2017.
“Currently in academia, after eight years in the role of program officer for India, Nepal and Sri Lanka with a leading international donor organization, two years with Government of India, and five years with a leading national NGO of India. Earlier, practised for many years as a public interest litigation lawyer in the Supreme Court of India and Delhi High Court,” the ‘about’ section of her profile read.
