Delhi University has marked June 29 (Thursday), a gazetted holiday owing to Eid-ul-Adha, a working day. However, employees who wish to celebrate the festival have been given the option not to attend the office. In a notification, the DU said the day would be marked as a working day to complete all arrangements before Friday’s valedictory function, for which Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the chief guest. Teachers have condemned the move, saying the administration has a “sectarian mindset, lack of sensitivity and deliberate attempt to isolate one community”. They demanded the withdrawal of the notification. The Democratic Federation of Teachers, in a statement, said, “June 29 is a mandatory holiday for celebrating Eid-ul-Adha and has been notified in the Gazette of India. Members of the Muslim community celebrate Eid-ul-Adha. Members of other communities join these celebrations. It is a step that demands reproach and condemnation for its sectarian mindset, lack of sensitivity and deliberate attempt to isolate one community. The list of Gazetted Holidays has been known to the University much before the year 2023. No emergent situation or calamity has struck.We demand that the University Administration retracts this undesirable notification.”
