New Delhi: Two students from O.P. Jindal Global University were suspended for allegedly displaying posters and participating in a discussion about the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, which university officials deemed a “violation of the student code of conduct”.
The university student disciplinary committee (USDC), in its February 10 notice to one of the students, said, “You were allegedly involved in a serious violation of the student code of conduct. You were found to have been putting up posters and engaging in conversation that involved extremely derogatory and provocative words and/or phrases aimed at detrimentally affecting the integrity and tranquility of the university space.”
According to the Indian Express, Anjoo Mohun, the university’s Chief Communication Officer, stated that the students were suspended in accordance with the guidelines for student conduct.
The suspended student argued that he was exercising his right to free speech in a democratic setup. The student acknowledged he was not a part of any student organisation that “aligns with any specific political ideology, in particular”, the daily said.
The poster of the public discussion, organised by the Revolutionary Student League on February 7, read: “Ram Mandir: A farcical project of Brahmanical Hindutva Fascism”.
The student organisation claimed the discussion was interrupted by a section of students chanting slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’. In a post on Instagram, it called for the varsity’s student body to take the incident as a “signal to join in against the struggle to claim back democratic political space”.
