New Delhi: The Daulat Ram College (DRC) in Delhi University (DU) on Wednesday (January 22) organised a religious programme in the premises of the institute commemorating the first anniversary of consecration of Hindu deity Ram’s idol in the newly-constructed temple in Ayodhya. Labelled as “Shri Ramlalla Virajman ki Pranpatishtha ki Pratham Varshgaanth (first anniversary of the consecration of Shri Ramlalla Virajman)” – to many students the programme sounded like an event organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
DRC principal, Savita Roy, attended the programme along with Delhi chapter representatives of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as well as the BJP.
The invitation for the event which was widely circulated on social media. Photo: Arranged by the author
DRC students who spoke to The Wire said that despite poor attendance, the programme was part of a larger, ongoing effort to erode the institution’s pluralistic values, which used to be a “safe place”. A student from a minority community told The Wire that a particular teacher from the DRC who attended this programme, had in the past randomly questioned her knowledge of the Ramayana – this she suspects happened because she is one of the few hijab-wearing students in the college.
A Dalit student at the DRC, who saw the programme from a distance and said they had no interest in attending, added that it seemed that the staff at the DRC was finally, openly exhibiting its “upper-caste character”.
“I was not surprised, the way the current staff treats minority community students and staff and the way they are trying to erase the original purpose of this women’s college, the programme only confirmed their attempts,” she added.
Meanwhile, Mahima Singh, the DRC secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP), stated that the event helped students understand “traditional values and culture.” Speaking to The Wire, Singh very proudly shared that even in the DRC’s library, a special section dedicated to Hindu mythological books was inaugurated and titled as ‘Ramalaya’ on January 22.
Students in Daulat Ram College attending the event. Photo: Arranged by the author
Sources close to the trust responsible for founding the DRC, however, told The Wire that the current administrative dispensation at the college is attempting to tarnish the values that the college and its founder, Daulat Ram Gupta, educationist and philanthropist, stood for. Gupta was a protege of Lala Lajpat Rai and had also worked under Mahatma Gandhi.
The college’s website testifies that the administration’s vision starkly contrasts with the founder’s principles. On February 8, the DRC in collaboration with Global Counter Terrorism Council will host a programme titled, “Bharat’s Geo-Strategy for Amritkaal”. Previously in October 2024, the DRC hosted “Amritkaal Vimarsh: Bharat @2047”. Sources also alleged that the current administration is driving efforts to privatise certain DU colleges.
Notably, there have been other instances of marginalisation in the past.
In 2020, Ritu Singh, a former assistant professor at the DRC, staged a protest in front of gate number four of the Arts Faculty that lasted over 186 days. Singh, a native of Punjab’s Taran Taran district, had completed her PhD at the DRC before joining the college as an ad-hoc assistant professor in the Department of Psychology in August 2019. Singh was treated as a ‘threat’ by college principal Roy for her strong views on issues such as the farmers’ strike, anti-caste politics, Ambedkar, and the constitution. She belongs to the Dalit community.
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When Singh returned to the college in August 2020 after the COVID-19 lockdown, the principal refused to give her a joining letter. Singh protested in front of the college for 10 days against the illegal dismissal. Later, the Delhi Police registered two FIRs against her under the Epidemic Disease Act for protesting during COVID times.
“Education and religion must remain separated from each other. I feel that without the support of the vice chancellor, this wouldn’t have been possible. DU is becoming home to RSS ideology and DRC’s Savita Roy is also an enabler. Slowly, DU teaching and non-teaching staff is filled with RSS cadres to convert DU into a corrupt fortress of Hindutva. Even RSS’s books are launched at DU colleges,” Singh told The Wire.
Hinduisation of DU colleges and other issues persist
In the recent but saffronised past of DU, several colleges have also started the practice of organising hawans, poojas and Ramayana recitation within the campus. Laxmibai College, Hansraj College and now DRC have all hosted such programmes.
In 2022, the principal of Laxmibai College initiated a daily ritual of chanting the Bhagavad Gita and planned a monthly programme to host Sunderkand Path at the college.
Apart from Hinduis-ing the institutions, recruitments too are under the scanner in the university
Recently, two notifications – one issued by DRC, and the other by DU – for recruitment of assistant professors generated disgruntlement among several applicants who claimed that the new parameters were in contradiction of UGC guidelines. The notification by the DRC asked the faculty members appointed as assistant professors to undergo training in computer-aided teaching within six months, and submit its proof; the notification issued by DU, necessitated applicants to the same post to make a presentation of their work to the evaluators in the first round following which they were to be permitted to attend the interview round conducted by the final selection committee.
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On this, the UGC chairperson Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar had stated that autonomous bodies and universities were free to pick qualifications and processes over and above the minimum standards provided in the UGC regulations with the approval of their statutory bodies.
The Wire also contacted the organiser of the event, Pawan Tripathi, who is the librarian at the DRC. The story will be updated when he responds.
