On September 11, after former diplomat Deepak Vohra delivered a speech in Lady Shri Ram College, inculcating in his address a string of poorly-disguised misogynistic and communal jokes and jingoistic jargon, widespread furor spread both in and outside of the four walls of the college. 

As of September 15, four days after the session took place, significant developments have taken place, the first of them being a meeting of the student body that was scheduled with the Principal with assistance from the Students’ Council.

Scheduled to be in the middle of the day in a room that many students stressed was not large enough to accommodate the participants, many felt that the meeting was a futile discussion, with members of the management faulting students for popularising the issue and letting it leave the college premises. The Principal, Prof. Kanika Ahuja went out of her way to reassure students that while their anger is justified, there is little that could be done, given that the speaker had been screened beforehand to the best of their ability, and none were able to detect any fault lines. A student who attended the meeting stated that “it did not feel like a constructive discussion to me. The department responsible claimed that there were mixed reviews that emerged following the speaker session, but hate speech is not something that should be up for debate. A continuous blame game ensued between the administration and the attendees, and we were faulted for not alerting the organisers about Vohra’s many controversies on a timely basis.”

The Department of B.A. Programme released an official statement addressing the issue on the same day, stating that the organisers do not echo the statements and sentiments of the speaker and will “implement vetting mechanisms with stakeholder feedback, establish clearer guidelines for external speakers and institute additional oversight measures to ensure that all future programmes align with institutional standards and values.” The continuation to the statement, however, which requested students to “not circulate deceptive and misleading content”, invited the ire of many who believed that the department failed to address the crux of the issue, with one student claiming that she was disappointed by the clarification.

“There was no apology issued for the lapse in background check by the department union, and no accountability for platforming such vitriol, and furthermore, preventing students from leaving the auditorium in an effort to not disrespect the speaker are occurrences that did not receive even a passing mention in the statement,” a third-year student stated.

Dissent, however, has managed to find its voice both within and outside of the college campus, with a statement of condemnation authored by members of the college alumni making the rounds. With 540 signatures from former students residing both in and outside of India, and featuring names of great esteem like renowned academic and Political Scientist Nivedita Menon, it has been sent to the college administration in a bid to invite further action. 

Amidst questions being raised that address the lack of background checks and a failure to resolve similar issues on a timely basis, a student highlighted what she perceived to be a lack of accountability from the administration, stating that “the college has previously, in the last academic session, expressed hesitation in inviting academics for speaker sessions, citing the college’s ‘apolitical’ stance, but was willing to disregard this ethos for a man who has been pandering to the incumbent right-wing government for years now. A speaker session that turned into a hunting ground for minorities should not have received the thunderous applause that it had, regardless of whether or not students did not anticipate his discriminatory comments.”

In the evening, an apology by Mr Vohra himself was shared with students of the college by the Students’ Union. Dated September 15 and addressed to the Principal, it left students dissatisfied with the retired diplomat’s response, given its short length and failure to take accountability for the problematic nature and virulent aspects of the speech. One student privy to the speaker’s apology highlighted how his designation read longer than his statement, making many doubt the sincerity with which it was authored and the callousness with which it was worded, making students look like their dissatisfaction was for all but naught.

In the early hours of September 16, the official Instagram page of the Students’ Union of Lady Shri Ram released a statement of condemnation that was drafted while maintaining clear dialogue with students who suggested tweaks along the way. The statement was at the receiving end of campus-wide commendation given that it highlighted key issues with the speech, did not minimise the problems communicated by the student body, acknowledged shortcomings in terms of background checks, and, as the last few lines of the statement read, remained committed “to exercising due diligence in shaping platforms of dialogue within our college community, ensuring that they reflect the ethos of constructive debate, academic seriousness, and diverse perspectives.”

A second meeting of the student body with the Principal was scheduled to take place on September 17. It was marked by lower attendance, and the belief that no further developments are to occur in the matter.

“It seems to me that this case is not going anywhere,” a second-year student stated, adding, “There was little opposition against Vohra when it should have mattered the most, while he was in the auditorium. After his speech, there is little clarity in the student body on what exactly they wanted to get out of the protest, be it accountability from the administration, an apology from the organizers or something else entirely. The issue has died down, and people are not discussing it anymore. The college seems to have collectively moved on, but whatever remains of the college’s unanimity in standing for what is right has gone with it.”

Image Caption: Dissent finds ways to thrive on the LSR campus
Image Credits: Anonymous

Anonymous