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Delhi University professor Sangeet Ragi faces complaints from INTEC and a Congress functionary over remarks linking “Dalit mentality” with slavery during a television debate.

A complaint has been filed against Delhi University Political Science professor Sangeet Ragi over remarks he made during a television debate, with the Indian National Teachers’ Congress (INTEC) seeking disciplinary action, including his expulsion from the university.

The controversy arose during a debate in which a video featuring Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge was discussed. The video allegedly showed the singing of Vande Mataram being stopped midway to arrange a chair for Kharge.

Referring to the incident, Ragi said, “This is a mentality of slavery, this is a Dalit mentality.” Following objections from other participants, Ragi withdrew the statement but maintained that “Dalit” was not a community-related word and was instead a political term.

INTEC subsequently submitted a complaint to Delhi University Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh, accusing Ragi of making derogatory remarks against the Dalit community. The teachers’ body described the remark as “deeply offensive and derogatory towards the Dalit community”, alleging that it “perpetuates harmful historical prejudices, promotes social division, and flies in the face of our constitutional values of equality, dignity, and social justice.” It has sought strict disciplinary action against Ragi in accordance with university rules and due process.

A separate complaint was also filed at the Parliament Street police station by Aditya Goswami, former media coordinator of the All India Congress Committee. The complaint seeks registration of an FIR under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

Goswami alleged that equating “Dalit mentality” with “slave mentality” amounted to an “intentional insult and humiliation” of a member of the Scheduled Caste community and sought immediate registration of an FIR, investigation into the matter, and preservation of the full video and related material.

The complaint comes amid renewed scrutiny of caste-related remarks in public discourse involving university academics. The allegations against Ragi remain subject to due process, and no disciplinary action has been announced by the university so far.

As of August 20, University officials had not publicly commented on the complaint or indicated whether any formal inquiry had been initiated.

Image Source: INTEC Facebook Page

Aarushi Chaubey
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Rejecting the alleged ‘sham of DU Literature Festival’ which was organised in Ramjas College from March 17–19, AISA organised a ‘People’s Literature Festival’ on March 17, coinciding with the former.

On March 17, the All-India Students’ Association (AISA) organised a ‘People’s Literature Festival’ at the University Arts Faculty from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The festival enjoyed the attendance of hundreds of students and prominent speakers from the fields of film, academia, and journalism.

With a slogan of celebrating ‘Krantikari’ literature in place of ‘Sarkari’ literature, the festival was organised in direct opposition to the DU Literature Festival, which was held from March 17–19, 2023, on Ramjas College grounds. The organisation alleged that the latter was hosted “with a whole range of BJP-corporate intellectuals”, who “spewed communal venom on the platform of a public university”, as accused by AISA’s press release and social media handles.

“Rather than calling for the cancellation of the Lit Fest, we wanted to bring about a positive campaign as an alternative” – Anjali, AISA DU Secretary.

Anjali further described the program as “an attempt to reclaim the democratic space of dissent in the University.”

The festival had a focus on “revolutionary traditions in literature”, hosting a range of interactive speaker sessions on the topics of resistance, cinema, media, caste, history, literature, and people’s movements. It featured a line-up of speakers such as ‘Anarkali of Aarah’ director Avinash Das, ‘Mooknayak’ editor and journalist Meena Kotwal, historian S. Irfan Habib, and professor Apoorvanand, among others.

The program also included an open mic session of poetry recitation by the University students, along with Professor Nandita Narain, who inaugurated the event with a rendering of ‘Hum Dekhenge’ by Faiz. The team of ‘Raschakra’ performed a theatrical reading of ‘Afghani Dukhtaran’, a play written by Purwa Bhardwaj and directed by Vinod Kumar, centring on the literature and resistance of the women of Afghanistan against years of oppression. The festival concluded with a cultural performance and songs of resistance.

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

Sanika Singh
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