On hunger strike over ‘discrimination, punishment transfer’, Ambedkar University teachers to meet V-C today

Taking to social media, the Ambedkar University Delhi Faculty Association (AUDFA) posted a video of the gathering on its official Instagram page with quotes like “Let’s go and establish a new world together” and “These days too will pass like a thousand days have”.

The association members will meet Vice Chancellor Anu Singh later on Friday to discuss their issues.

Speaking to The Indian Express, an official at AUD said, “The Vice Chancellor has invited the faculty members to come and speak with her. In many cases, the eligibility of teachers was an issue when it came to promotions. In many cases, there was no proper body of research work and the norms of the faculty promotions were not met as mandated by the University Grants Commission (UGC).”

The official further said the administration is ready to “listen to their representation and resolve the issues being raised amicably”.

In its official statement Wednesday, AUDFA stated that it “continues its struggle against caste and gender harassment along with punishment transfers while demanding reconstitution of the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), Equal Opportunities Office (EOO) and Grievance Redressal Committees. “More immediately, our demand for a fair and just inquiry into recent allegations of gender and caste harassment must be met,” it said. According to the statement, the protest will resume on Friday. “This hunger strike and sit-in aims to restore AUD’s stride towards equity, gender and social justice, and fair employment,” it added.

In their charter of demands, the teachers alleged that faculty and staff members were being made to undergo “punishment transfer without their consultation and consent”. It stated that recently, a faculty member was “transferred from one school to another following her relentless pursuit for justice against gender- and caste-based discrimination”.

The teachers also pointed out issues like “workload notifications” that mandate five daily on-campus hours, which, they said, potentially limit research and field work. In addition, they cited inadequate infrastructure as a barrier to on-campus productivity.

Other grievances include “delays in career advancement, arbitrary recovery of past payments, and denial of child-care leave”. The association further sought decentralised administration, timely promotions, and improved medical benefits.

“It has been over 15 years, yet AUD still does not have a permanent campus,” AUDFA said, demanding that the construction process start immediately.