DU teacher slapped by students’ union member: University forms 6 member panel to probe incident

The action comes a day after Professor Sujit Kumar, convener of Ambedkar college’s disciplinary committee and a faculty member of the commerce department, alleged that he was slapped inside the Principal’s office around 4 pm on Thursday, in the presence of police personnel.

He resigned from the committee soon after, saying it would be “very difficult for teachers to teach” if such incidents went unchecked.

“I only took action against an ABVP candidate because he was misbehaving with an NSUI candidate… I think that is what bothered the ABVP members. For me, party labels do not matter. All students are the same and everyone will be punished equally if they misbehave,” he had told The Indian Express, adding that no such incident had occurred in his 30 years at the college.

The Democratic Teachers’ Front (DTF) alleged that about 50 students entered the campus, along with Jha and DUSU President Aryan Maan, “mistreated teachers and demanded the resignation of the disciplinary committee convener”. It alleged that the purported CCTV footage shows Jha slapping the professor.

The purported video appears to show the confrontation taking place as police personnel stand nearby. “A complaint has been received. The matter is being enquired; accordingly, action will be taken,” a Delhi Police officer had said on Thursday.

Jha had later issued a statement apologising to “the entire teaching community” but claimed she was responding to complaints from students who accused the professor of “politically motivated abuse and assault”.

She had alleged that in the Principal’s room, the professor “threatened and abused” her and that police took no action. “Consequently, in a fit of rage, I resorted to assaulting him… I regret this incident,” she said, while also alleging that the professor had arrived in an “inebriated state” and made her feel unsafe.