DU staff, including elected members of the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA), condemn the university administration for the lack of action taken against DUSU Joint Secretary Deepika Jha for the alleged attack on a professor on duty. Several teachers’ organisations demand the furnishing of the FIR and expulsion of Miss Jha.
Despite two weeks passing since Mr Sujit Kumar, a professor at Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar College, University of Delhi, was allegedly slapped and physically assaulted by Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) Joint Secretary Deepika Jha on 16th October 2025, the university has yet to take any sort of disciplinary action against Miss Jha. The most that has been done is collective condemnation against these actions by several staff associations that describe the event as a “grave breach of academic decorum and moral authority,” as quoted by the Indian Express.
The incident allegedly took place inside the Principal’s office, in the presence of multiple police personnel. Miss Jha, who is affiliated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), stated that the action was impulsive and in retaliation for the professor’s behaviour. She alleged that the professor spoke to her demeaningly and kept staring at her, which made her uncomfortable. She accused the professor of being intoxicated and directing indecent remarks towards her. The professor, however, denied these allegations.
Several groups, including the CTF, DTF, DTI, INTEC (I), RSM, and SSM, termed the incident “an attack on the dignity of teachers and the academic environment of the university” and criticised the lack of disciplinary action taken against the student representatives. Since the incident, several teachers’ organisations of the University of Delhi have written to the Delhi University Teachers’ Association, demanding a General Body Meeting to be convened for the discussion of the issue.
The Association has raised several demands, one of them being the filing of an FIR and furnishing a copy of the same to Professor Kumar. The college’s emergent General Body Meeting, held on October 22nd, described the incident as “a direct assault on the dignity, safety, and honour of the entire teaching community.” One of the unanimously passed resolutions included a ban on DUSU activists from the college premises. According to a press release by the Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar College Staff Association (BRACSA), a dharna was held on October 27th. It was joined by DUTA members, members of the academic council, and teachers from various colleges. A statement signed by Prof. Md Riyazuddin Khan, Secretary of BRACSA, advocated for the expulsion of Miss Jha and demanded justice for the affected person.
Rudrashish Chakraborty, Associate Professor of English at Kirori Mal College and former member of the DUTA Executive and Academic Council, was quoted: “Neither the college administration has lodged an FIR, nor the university administration has taken any palpable action against the culprits till now. Instead, the perpetrators of the crime have been allowed to malign the victim on social media and other platforms to distract attention from the main issue of physically assaulting a teacher on duty.” He also stated that it is obvious that the university administration is shielding culprits, “as per instructions from above.”
He added that the silence and complicity from the administration have made the university an “unsafe space for the teaching-learning process.” Several elected members of DUTA and multiple college organisations have accused the university administration of failing to protect faculty members from intimidation. Prof.Yogesh Singh, Vice-Chancellor, University of Delhi, stated, “We have formed an inquiry committee and are working on it. A decision will be taken shortly.”
Souparnika
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Read Also: DUTA Demands Action After Professor is Slapped by DUSU’s Joint Secretary
Image Source: Screengrab from CCTV Footage
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