‘V-C, his aides from UP calling us, our parents’: At RGNUL Patiala, protesting students allege expulsion threats

Singh, who hails from Prayagraj, was earlier the dean of the department of law at the University of Allahabad.

Speaking to The Indian Express, a protesting student who hails from Uttar Pradesh, said, “Today, the V-C called me and my parents. Later, my parents received another call from a politically influential person from UP. The V-C told me to come and meet him and asked why I was protesting against him despite being from UP. Later, he called my parents and said, ‘Your child is there to study, not to protest. Why is he participating in this protest?’”

The student said that his parents later got another call from a politically influential person from UP, asking why their child was protesting. “My parents confronted him that students are protesting for their rights. The V-C even objects to formal clothes worn by faculty, not just women students. Now he is using politicians to stifle our voice,” the student alleged.

“It is not like we don’t want to negotiate but our parents are also being threatened that we will be expelled if we will protest. We want an open meeting on all issues we have with the V-C,” another student said.

Another student whose parents allegedly got a call from the V-C said, “He called my father and said, ‘Your son is very active in the protest and he can be expelled’. My father said that he could not threaten us with expulsion and then the V-C calmed down. He said, ‘Ask your son to come and talk’.”

The student said that he went to speak to V-C Singh, who said that the parents would not get calls if the students spoke to him. “We told the faculty that this is affecting the mental health of the students and their parents. The faculty have assured us that protesting students will not be expelled,” the student said.

When contacted for his comments, V-C Singh said, “I will speak to you after 15 minutes as I am talking to some students right now.” However, he did not answer calls later.

“I have no idea if the V-C has called students and their parents or not but no student can be expelled for protesting. We have only informed parents via mail that the university is closed. There was a proposal to contact parents but I had told the V-C that we should not do it,” Dr Naresh Vats, Officiating Registrar of the varsity, told The Indian Express.

Massive protests broke out at RGNUL on Sunday after V-C Singh conducted an “unannounced inspection” of girls’ hostels, including their rooms. Students also accused the V-C of “passing casual and sexist remarks” on women students repeatedly, including on their clothes, choice of career, and personal activities, among other things. Singh, however, denied all charges.

Meanwhile, in a statement, the RGNUL student body said: “Students have been protesting for 72+ hours in scorching heat and non-conducive weather conditions. So far, three of them have faced severe physical consequences and have required immediate medical assistance. Senior administration members have denied help on the pretext of not having the power to help in this matter.”

“In light of these recent incidents, the student body would like to bring forth a few crucial points. Access to washrooms and closed roof areas has been denied despite the harsh weather conditions outside… the same has been done on the reasoning of the University being closed, which was a decision in direct retaliation to the protests. In another drastic measure by the administration, parents of the students protesting have been contacted to stifle the protests and create consequences for individual students. There also exists a looming threat of expulsion given by the administration against everyone involved,” the statement added.

The student body said that while the university administration claimed that the students did not show up for talks, student representatives “did, in fact, go to stress upon our demands that such deliberations ought to happen in the public and with the presence of the V-C which has been the demand rather than come to an agreement with faculty members behind closed doors”.

“We would like to clarify that the protest does not hold any political affiliations and the student body has expressly refrained from making any political statements. We continue to condemn the actions of the vice-chancellor and continue to stand by our earlier stated demands,” the statement further said.

Denying that washrooms have been locked, Vats said, “We have even kept academic block open for students to sit, protest and do whatever they want.”

Speaking with local media, the V-C said he could not even think of misbehaving with women students who were like his daughters/granddaughters and all allegations against him were false. “We are trying to solve all of them via negotiations. I have turned 60 and all of them are like my granddaughters. I never had any corruption charges against me. We will do everything possible keeping the interest of students, especially women, as priority and for their education. I had only gone to check the space issue in some rooms in the girls’ hostel during lunch hour,” said the V-C.

Punjab State Commission for Women chairperson Raj Lalli Gill held a meeting with protesting students at RGNUL campus Wednesday late and said a committee would be constituted to address students’ grievances, which would also include student representatives and faculty members from the university whose names would be recommended by the students. She added that if need be, a representative from administration will also be a part of the committee.