A BA third-year student of Hindi (Hons) at Hansraj College Monday alleged he was assaulted by a teacher at an anti-CAA protest. The principal has denied the charges and said the organisers of the event did not have permission. “Students of Hansraj College had given a call for collective reading of Vivekananda’s historic Chicago speech and Preamble of the Indian Constitution at ‘Lovers’ Point’ on Monday afternoon. Barely after the first few students had gathered, holding the Tricolour in their hands, the principal along with some teachers came and started snatching flags and phones from students, disrupting the gathering,” the organisers claimed in a statement. They alleged that Gaurav Kumar, a teacher of physical education, “physically assaulted” student Vinay Pratap Singh Sivarkar. In his written complaint to the principal, he asked that an FIR be lodged against Kumar and that he be suspended immediately until inquiry. Sivarkar, when contacted, said, “The principal came around 12.15 pm to the venue with a group of teachers, asking why we have gathered. When I started recording a video, they objected and a teacher snatched my phone. They refused to give it back. A Sanskrit teacher took me to a room and said we could talk it out.” “As soon as I entered, Gaurav sir said, ‘tu zyada neta ban raha hai’ (you’re trying to become a politician). I realised he was angry with me because I had called him out on a Facebook post in which he was asking people to boycott the movie Chhapaak,” he claimed, adding that Kumar slapped him a few times and tried to snatch his spectacles too. Sivarkar claimed that even at the principal’s office, where he went to complain, Kumar threatened to beat him up. Both Kumar and principal Rama denied the charges. “Today these students had planned an event, but a parallel event was going on at the same time. Since they didn’t have permission, I and other teachers told them not to hold it,” said Kumar. Rama said, “They were holding a flag. I asked them. to take permission.”
