A Hindi prof goes on fast against four-year format

Encouraged by the support he received for fast,Singh has now decided to campaign against the programme in the bylanes of Delhi — one colony at a time.

His main opposition to the programme stems from his belief that the four-year programme will lead to a “class divide” among students. “The minority students will not be able to cope with the demand of the programme. My basic issue is with the merits and the procedure of the degree,” Singh says.

Singh claims to have the support of postgraduate students and research scholars from DU,former president of the Delhi University Teachers’ Union Shaswati Mazumdar,current president Amar Deo Sharma and other DUTA office-bearers.

Singh continued his fast at Rajghat till Saturday. He says that he chose the spot to prove a point. “University administration has been claiming that only the Left-leaning organisations are in opposition to the programme,which is not true,” he says.

Singh joined Delhi University as a Hindi Literature student,and later started work as a teacher.

According to him,the university administration “should have waited a year or two” before revamping the system completely.

“DU has been a place where major social,academic and even political changes have been contemplated and debated upon. Despite the several disagreements,the DU fraternity has always respected the constitutional right to speak our minds and encouraged healthy debate,” he says.