DU Arts Faculty Dean stepped down after student protests over exam delays. The incident involved allegations of negligence and chaos following the postponement of a political science general elective exam.
The dean of Delhi University Faculty of Arts, Mr Amitava Chakravarti, resigned on Monday, January 6, following a heated student protest. He was allegedly heckled by a group of students led by the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) President, Ronak Khatri. The protest erupted after students of the Russian department were unable to receive the question papers for their political science general elective exam on time causing postponement and rescheduling of the exam. Frustrated by the situation, a group of students gathered at the dean’s office, demanding his resignation. The confrontation turned chaotic, with students accusing the dean of negligence.
In a post shared on X, Ronak Khatri stated
“HoD of the Language Department and the Dean of the Arts Faculty were drunk, and their gross negligence caused students to suffer today. Over 60 students were unable to take the General Education (GE) Political Science exam. We have also learned that he abuses both students and administrative staff. We have demanded his immediate removal and disciplinary action against him.”
Khatri also accused the Dean of abusing students and alleged that he was intoxicated at the time of the incident. The video accompanying the post shared by the DUSU President on Instagram and X shows the dean being surrounded by a group of students. The video also shows a member of the faculty who accused the dean of creating a hostile environment and claimed,
“Since he (the dean) has come, every student and teacher in the Russian section have been ruined.”
As the situation grew more tense, the dean reportedly fainted due to low blood sugar and was promptly rushed to the hospital. In a conversation with DU Beat, Mr Chakaravarti revealed that he was taken to Pramanand Hospital, where he was treated in the emergency room. He also stated,
“Even in the hospital a few student leaders kept on entering the emergency room and threatening me while I was just regaining my consciousness.”
Since then, the dean has submitted his resignation to the director of South Campus. Furthermore, he has firmly denied the students’ and the DUSU president’s accusations of intoxication, calling them baseless and defamatory. According to Times Now, he has stated that he might consider filing a defamation case against individuals spreading false allegations.
In the letter to the Director of South Campus, Chakravarti explains,
“However, on 6 th January, 2025, the examination could not be started on time due to some communication gap between the offices involved. That day itself I had an online meeting of a national level expert group regarding the promotion of Bangla as a Classical Language from 9:30 a.m. Hence, when I could check my mobile for missed call and could call back, I came to know of the delay and the student unrest about this, and rushed to the Department.
He further adds that it was in fact one of his colleagues who took advantage of the situation and instigated the students to go against him,
“The said colleague, knowing very well of the reasons of me being holding that position, or that of my name being included as Ph.D. supervisor with a retired teacher of Russian as the Co-supervisor, instigated the students by accusing me of wrongdoings, and underlining the fact that I am a teacher of Bengali. This led to the student leaders abusing me further, asking me to read from a Russian text, say various types of Russian words, and responding to Russian comments of the students, all in the presence of the said colleague.There were sloganeering in his name as well.
Speaking with DU Beat, NSUI member Namrata Jeph said,
“The students’ grievances about the exam delay were valid although this situation led the dean to decide to resign may have crossed the ethical boundaries. Ultimately, this incident could serve as a catalyst for improving administrative transparency and student- faculty communication within DU.”
According to the dean, the unfortunate incident has now “created a precedent wherein teachers could be physically and verbally harassed and made to submit resignations, that too with the active participation of a colleague from the Department.”
Read Also: Dalit student allegedly harassed and assaulted by Shaheed Bhagat Singh College’s principal.
Featured Image Credits: Devesh for DU Beat
Ashita Kedia
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