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On Friday, protests took place in the arts faculty led by the Student Federation of India (SFI) and another one staged by the students in Shaheed Bhagat Singh College responding to an alleged case of assault on a Dalit student by the college principal.

On the 18th of September 2024, protests were staged outside the office of Shaheed Bhagat Singh’s principal, Prof. Arun Kumar Attree. These protests, led by a Dalit student, were in response to an alleged incident of blatant casteism and assault on him by the principal. The Dalit student, Sumit, claims that Attree assaulted and hurled casteist slurs at him amidst an attempt for a forced confession for an incident that allegedly took place in September.

On 24 October 2024, several obscene videos were sent to students and teachers alike in the Hindi Department’s WhatsApp group. They were sent through the phone of one of Sumit’s classmates. On suspicion of hacking and frustration of negligence to these issues, the matter was brought to the principal through a letter sent in by Sumit and his classmates.

Recalling the incident at an AISA-led student-teacher convention on Tuesday, he alleges that such incidents were not news and had taken place numerous times before but were swept under the rug.

They took my phone and went through everything they could despite assuring us of our privacy prior. They even went through my chats with my sister and a whole lot of other things that I probably am not aware of.

Following the letter, an investigative committee was formed to look into the matter. They allegedly seized the phones of the suspect and, in Sumit’s case, went through his private photos and even through chats with his family. This was an obvious and absurd breach of one’s right to privacy as laid down in Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.

We’d get you arrested, taint your character certificate, and make sure your career goes nowhere from here on if you do not confess to having dispersed the videos. If you get away with all that, we still wouldn’t let you in without charging a hefty sum.

These were allegedly the things said to Sumit once he was called to the principal’s office, where, despite the committee admitting to having found nothing against him, Attree pressured and threatened Sumit to confess. He, alongside other professors, tried locking him in to physically assault him further. There were casteist slurs thrown at him and told how he “looked” like someone who would do such a heinous act. Sumit, as he alleges, was made to sit through all of this for 5 hours.

You could tell he is the culprit just by looking at his face.

This was allegedly remarked on by Mahesh Kumar Choudhary, a professor in the Hindi department at Shaheed Bhagat Singh College. Sumit, after the incident, was treated like a convict in college classrooms, and as he put it, it’s almost always people from the SC/ST communities who are singled out and discriminated against.

Disappointed and upset, Sumit and his friends went to file an FIR at Malviya Nagar police station on charges of breach of privacy. This is where the trial of disappointing events, allegedly takes pace. The police, after having heard his complaint, dismissed it initially.

You are no Ambani that your privacy would matter.

The Delhi Police, on several occasions, have dismissed such complaints or handled them poorly. Why should one’s economic or social standing be a determiner of a right to a dignified life? Dr. Rakesh Kumar, a professor at the college and also present at the student-teacher convention, alleges that FIRs aren’t registered against the principal owing to his familial ties to the higher-ranking officials in the Police Force.

Attree has denied any wrongdoing with a statement to Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) saying, “The student has been manipulated by a teacher, who is currently undergoing an inquiry related to false certifications. The student himself faced an inquiry after there were allegations that he had previously hacked people’s phones and sent obscene messages”.

Curiously, it is not the first time Attree has found himself in hot waters, as he infamously detained 1500 students last year on grounds of mandatory attendance criteria. Under his tenure, he has introduced what many view as “anti-democratic” measures into the campus space. He has barred students from hanging out in groups of 4 or more and has installed CCTV cameras everywhere, including the staff rooms, which is seen as an authoritative move in an attempt to curb any sort of opposition he may feel.

Nandita Narain, former President of the Delhi University Teacher’s Association (DUTA), condemned the incident and expressed her support by saying,

Such incidents of blatant authoritarianism are increasingly more common, as seen by recent incidents in Laxmibai College and Shaheed Bhagat Singh College. I hope strict action is taken against Attree for this crime against humanity. I also hope for greater representation of the SC/ST community in positions of power at the university level shortly as a means to combat this issue.

Read also: Students demanding concessional metro passes led by SFI-Delhi detained by Delhi Police

Featured Images credits: @sbscduofficial on X

Yash Raj

[email protected]

 

SBSC inaugurated the new infrastructure under principal Prof. Atree to enhance the college’s facilities and support the academic needs of its students. 

On 22 July 2024, Shaheed Bhagat Singh College celebrated the inauguration of its new infrastructure under Principal Prof. Arun Kumar Attree. The event was joined by Delhi University’s Vice Chancellor Prof. Yogesh Singh as the Chief Guest, Prof. Shri Prakash, Director South Campus, Prof. Balram Pani, Dean of Colleges, and Dr. Vikas Gupta, Registrar, along with the faculty members, students, and invited guests. 

The infrastructural  additions include multiple air-conditioned classrooms equipped with smartboards, multipurpose halls, and sports blocks. With this initiative, the college is aiming for greater engagement and academic achievement. The college hopes to offer students access to the latest tools and materials necessary for their academic development by incorporating technology and resources.  In conversation with DU Beat, Prof. Attree shares his take on infrastructure and the NEP, 

“No academic institution can grow academically without the support of the infrastructure. So, infrastructure is the basic thing that one should provide. It is the responsibility of every administrator that they work on the infrastructure. But I feel that providing infrastructure to the students and the teachers is the first responsibility, and in fact, the institutions exist first for the students. So, in this step, definitely we are all going to support the NEP.”

Inadequate funding to colleges has always been one of the primary concerns of all faculty members across DU. The issue comes to light, especially with the ongoing problems in funding and governance of 12 DU colleges by the state government. Most recently, such shortages were noted during the summer semester exams, where many students were taking exams during the heatwave. 

Attree adds on the role of infrastructure: 

“As I have already mentioned, infrastructure is the basic thing that provides the platform where the students can explore their true potential. Students want to come to the college, but when they see that the classes, benches, board, etc. are in bad condition, they are discouraged. It’s like you send a soldier on the war front and you say that you don’t have the weapon. So you have to provide that infrastructural support. Infrastructure helps in creating an ecosystem, an academic environment where everybody wants to come and learn.”

 The earlier additions to the college such as water coolers during the peak summer time had raised the students’ expectations only to be shattered by the news of lizard infestation in the coolers due to poor maintenance. Therefore, the new infrastructure and the principal’s address have received a lukewarm response from the students. 

 Recognising skill enhancement as one of the key elements for his plans regarding SBSC in the coming months, Atttree shares, 

 “There is a skill development centre that we already have in the college, and there is a career development centre also. And in the next three months, we are going to start a project where there will be a bakery, where the students will learn how to bake, and students will learn how to do editing and digital marketing.”

Attree has been infamous in the news for starting the harsh attendance policy among DU colleges. In conversation with DU Beat, he further states his reasons behind the policy, 

 “A student pays 15,000-17,000 rupees per week. And do you have an estimate of how much the government spends on a student? The government spends around 2 lakh rupees per annum on a student, and the student is paying 15,000-17,000. If in a class, if 60 students are there and only 20 students are coming, 40 students, those who are not coming, it is a loss to the government of India. There are students, those who could have availed of these opportunities. 

Attree also talked about policies adopted in SBSC to help the students. SBSC mandates all its professors to notify students 48 hours prior regarding the cancellation of lectures, along with strict punctuality.

Vice-chancellor Yogesh Singh who was also present at the event weighed in on his views about student activism and journalism, 

“ We need patriotic journalists who understand the problems of our country and then provide the right kind of perspective. Positive criticism is fine but we should not create unnecessary confusion and chaos. We are all sons and daughters of this country and we must work in the direction of PM’s Viksit Bharat by 2047’’ 

Singh also downright denied the allegation regarding the commercialisation of education under  NEP and expressed his views in the following statement, 

“We are in the third year of implementation of NEP, many good things are happening but the results will come after a few years because this period involves investment and guidance in the proper direction” 

However, the current state of most DU colleges suggests otherwise. Roof collapses, and unsanitary canteens among other issues have become routine news for students. The existing infrastructure in most colleges barely supports the needs of the students’ core disciplines, let alone support newer courses under NEP. The New Education Policy has received criticism from both student and teacher bodies due to its unplanned and hasty implementation and minimal guidelines from the University about its proper framework.  

Featured Image Credits: Madhur for DU Beat

DU Beat

Considering the low-attendance challenges, Shaheed Bhagat Singh College decides to undertake necessary actions for nearly 1,397 students out of the total 3,600.

In a notice dated December 8, 2023, released by Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, the institution decided not to issue examination admit cards to students with attendance less than 40% in the semester. The decision made aligns with the earlier notices issued to the students urging them to meet the attendance requirements as per Delhi University norms. 

The notice clearly stated that students with attendance ranging from 40% to 66.66% will receive examination admit cards upon submitting an undertaking for covering up the deficit attendance and ensuring the combined average attendance of the two semesters to become at least 66.67% while declining the issuance of admit cards to the students whose attendance falls below 40% in any semester. 

As per The Times of India (TOI) reports, Arun Kumar Attree, principal of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, said,

“The college is now grappling with the emergence of a ‘college of correspondence’, where many students attend courses merely as a formality”.  

The students have been given the final chance up to December 12 to rectify any attendance discrepancies and provide any other document or information in support of their claim to meet the minimum attendance criteria. 

 Expressing concern about the attitude of students towards attending classes and contrasting it with the dedication of the teachers, Attree added,

“Some students were genuinely absent due to extracurricular activities such as sports, but there are some pursuing courses outside or focusing on their family business instead of attending classes. Enough is enough. We can’t keep going on like this. Our college has to get rid of this reputation of its students not caring about attendance.”

Demanding a shift towards merit-based education, he also highlighted the need for reserving educational opportunities for deserving students while mentioning instances where students who secured admission through CUET treated the college like a mere examination centre, coming to college only for exams. 

Read Also: DU’s Plagiarised Strategic Plan Withdrawn

Featured Image Source- Livemint

Dhairya Chhabra

[email protected]

The students and teachers of Kamala Nehru College hosted eCognitio, an innovative e-learning workshop promoting collaborative learning, in Shaheed Bhagat Singh College on 22nd April, 2016. The workshop witnessed enthusiastic participation from from both students and teachers. Held in association with the DU Innovation Projects scheme, under Dr. Rupa Basu and her team of students, the one-day long workshop focused on the use of e-learning tools and Open Education Resources (OER).

The workshop began with a formal introduction of e-learning techniques that can be used to make classroom learning more interactive. This session was conducted by Mrs. Aditi Basu Roy, a pedagogy and subject matter expert in e-learning. The primary objective of this session was to introduce the concepts of active and blended learning from the elementary level. The session was well received by the attendees who focused on the relevance of offbeat thinking in education.

Post this session, Ms. Sheetal Kale, an e-learning entrepreneur took over where she discussed the uses of basic Google tools of Google Drive, Google Sheets, Google Docs, etc. This session was most appreciated by the participants as they received a hands-on experience and practice of such tools. Training slides were presented to the participants on a projector and they were required to simultaneously work on their respective computer systems.

Mr. Sandeep Srivastava, a computer engineer and educationalist, joined in this session where he shared his personal experiences with e-learning and talked about the fallacies of the education system of the country today and the scope for improvement. “The system of inspection and correction with the use of e-learning in modern education has an unparalleled creditibilty.”, he emphasised.

By the end of this session, the aim was achieved successfully where each of the participants had their own personal sites which they created with the use of Google Sites.

The workshop wound up with a session that centered around a brief introduction of Open Education Resources by Ms. Anindita, a corporate expert on video-editing who explained the intricacies of video-editing with the help of clipconverter.cc. The team also circulated awareness forms on e-learning tools and feedback forms of the workshop with the aim of collective primary data for further research in the field.

One of the many such workshops, eCognitio plans to improvise on the content and cover as many college in DU as possible to garner a larger reach. The initiative aims to increase awareness and use of e-learning techniques in colleges and universities.

Arushi Pathak
[email protected]

Bricolage, the Literary Department of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College celebrated its Annual Literary fest—the 9th and 10th of March. SBSC is primarily known as a Commerce-oriented college, and indeed has one of the best Commerce Departments in Delhi University.

The well-shaded parking lot was transformed that day, with streamers, banners, posters, 3-D figures, food stalls by students, and book stalls by Katha, and bustling students dressed in departmental sweatshirts. The theme this year, after much debate, had been voted upon as ‘Fantasy’ and the festival, was accordingly called, Fantasia, 2016. One side of the area was entirely devoted to themed decorations: the Mad Hatter’s tea table was set, and the White Rabbit presided along with the grinning Cheshire Cat. The broom and the Witch’s Hat lay together, ready for the students to pose with, while from a corner a White Walker in a wig glared from behind the Iron Throne of Kings Landing.

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Two days of fun-filled events awaited the quintessential DU student, along with a host of cash prizes and exciting gaming coupons from Smaash. Day One began with an Inaugural Function, with engaging Musical and Dance performances by the students of the Department. Since presidents of Audiophile (the Music Society) and Spardha (the Dance Society) were from the Department, the audience was in for a treat.

Doctor Angelie Multani, who is an Associate Professor of Literature at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, in IIT Delhi, delivered the Inaugural Lecture. She spoke beautifully on the topic of fantasy and the need to escape in the world of humdrum reality. The inaugural event also included a Puppet Show by local performers, Lala Bhatt and his wife Guddi, who attracted an immense audience to the stage.

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After the Inaugural function, the Creative Writing event ‘Breaking the Block’ was held, sponsored by Delhipedia. The winners of the event are to be published by them, and were also gifted elegant diaries, embellished with maps and doodles—a traveller’s delight. The participants were asked to write about how fantasy is love, and were given a chance encounter to frame their piece. The Scene Enactment competition, ‘Act-O-Magic’ was held simultaneously, and the day finally concluded with the Book Cover Designing event, ‘Paint Your Dream’, in which the winning entry illustrated Goku, the protagonist of DragonBallZ in 21st Century India, the land of Oxy-Moron.

Day Two started with the Fantasy-Lit quiz, ‘Fanterrogate’, won by participants from Maharaja Agrasen College. The event was followed by an interactive Meet the Author session presided over by Keki N Daruwala, the Indian English poet.

Next in line was the Cosplay event, where the students dressed splendidly in costumes. The winning entries were Snow White, followed by Aladdin.

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The Slam poetry event followed and a twist was added, as the participants were asked to compose a poem in 45 minutes and then perform it on stage. Thus, on a poetic note, the two-day fun-filled fiesta ended. The teachers and students took back fond memories of priceless moments spent on one of those rare, beautiful spring days that Delhi offers.

 

Guest post for DU Beat by Afeefa Nishaat