Delhi University professor alleges bias in student selection by Urdu department

Khalid Alvi, associate professor at Zakir Hussain College alleged that the Urdu Department committed irregularities in PhD admissions.

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An associate professor of Delhi University has written to the Vice-Chancellor seeking permission to file an FIR against the Urdu Department for alleged irregularities in PhD admissions. He has claimed that the committee, which decided on admissions, of which he was a part, tweaked the list and removed his signature as well as the name of a deserving candidate.

Khalid Alvi, associate professor at Zakir Hussain College (Morning), Thursday sent an email to Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Tyagi, and followed it up with a letter on Friday. “Sir, with due respect I have to state that the Urdu Department has arbitrarily and fraudulently changed the list of successful candidates for PhD course. As a member of DRC (Department Research Committee), I signed the list of selected candidates, but the declared list doesn’t bear my signature. Even the name of a selected candidate, who happens to be topper of BA, MA, BEd and Entrance Test, was dropped. Kindly set up a high-level enquiry or allow me to file an FIR,” he said in the letter.

Tyagi did not respond to calls.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Alvi said the interview of candidates took place on August 30, and the final list was decided. “I had signed the list. But when the department released the list on September 5, it did not bear my signature. Moreover, a brilliant DU student’s name was removed,” he alleged.

“This woman student was being pressured by one of the faculty members to apply for MPhil instead of PhD. But she said she isn’t interested in MPhil. On the day of the interview, the professor told her, ‘Main dekhta hoon ab PhD kaise hota hai.’ Very difficult questions were posed to her, but she still made it to the list. Now, her name is not there,” alleged Alvi.

When contacted, the woman claimed, “I have three gold medals from DU, and one from Jamia. However, when I refused the professor’s offer of taking admission in MPhil, he told me he would hit me with hard questions during the interview. I was asked questions as if I had applied for a faculty member’s position.”

Refuting the charges, Head of the DRC Ibne Kanwal said Alvi had left the meeting before the final list was prepared, and said the woman did not perform well during the interview. “Alvi came late for the interviews and left before the final list was prepared. He wasn’t even prepared during the woman’s interview. His accusations are false. In fact, before leaving, he told us, ‘Iss ladki ko zaroor le lena’,” claimed Kanwal.

“The girl is our own student and has been a topper. But it’s not necessary that those who top by reading books from the syllabus also do well in the interview… She performed poorly,” he added.

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Alvi, however, said he was present throughout the meeting. “Let him produce the minutes of the meeting, and everything will be clear,” he said.