DUTA Press Release, 11 July 2018

DUTA & Hindu College Staff Association protest against show cause notices issued by the Chairman; DUTA slams it as an attempt to silence voices against commercialisation of the College

Hundreds of teachers attended the dharna of Delhi University Teachers’ Association along with the Staff Association of Hindu College held today, July 11, 2018 to protest against the showcause notice issued to the President and the Secretary of the Hindu College Staff Association. This dharna by DUTA was organised to express solidarity with the ongoing struggle of the college staff association which has been demonstrating on the matter for the last one week in the college premises.

The showcause notices have been issued to the office-bearers of the college staff association by the Chairperson of the College Governing Body for raising their voice against the dubious attempts of the Governing Body to seek ‘autonomy’ & ‘deemed University’ status from the Government of India.
DUTA is of the considered opinion that the Hindu College Governing Body is a habitual offender in terms of harassment and victimisation of teachers and other employees for raising their voice against the misgovernance and corruption in the college. This show cause notice is another act of intimidation unleashed against the voices of reason and opposition in the college, following the illegal termination of 2 teachers in 2015 and imposing punitive action on 7 teachers for raising questions against the arbitrary functioning of the Governing Body. The pattern in all these cases is very clear: to silence the whistle-blowers and thus to muzzle the voices of protest. The latest action of the Governing Body is clearly an act of vendetta against the office-bearers of the staff association for exposing the GB’s nefarious role in managing the College.

RTIs have revealed that the Hindu College GB did ask for ‘Deemed University’ status in 2016 in order to dissociate from the University of Delhi and also to have complete control over recruitment and service conditions of teachers as well as financial powers. The same GB has been very pro-active in pursuing ‘autonomy’ for the institution which was prevented by the timely intervention of the DUTA and the college staff association.

DUTA considers this as an attack on the teachers’ collective itself to derail its resolve to fight against the rampant privatisation of public-funded education. In a context where the Government of the day is hellbent in promoting profiteering in higher education (as evident in doling out ₹ 1000 crores to the non-existent Jio Institute), the Hindu College episode is a case in point where any opposition to the nefarious designs of the Government of selling off public institutions of higher learning will be crushed with impunity.

The DUTA resolves not only to give all logistical support to the two teachers who are victims of vendetta but also carry forward their struggle till its logical end. DUTA’s demand is unambiguous: unconditional withdrawal of the show cause notices issued to the 2 office-bearers of Hindu College, failing which DUTA will be forced to intensify the struggle against such draconian measures.

Lastly, DUTA holds the DU administration, especially the DU VC, equally culpable for an abject failure to uphold the laws of the University. It seems the University of Delhi has begun to treat Hindu College as ‘autonomous’ entity which is not accountable to the due processes of law enshrined in the University Calendar. The DUTA warns the University administration that if it fails to prevail over the Hindu College Governing Body to see reason, then it will be equally responsible for the eventual chaos in the University.

https://duta.live