Mumbai’s Thakur College event kicks up row: Students say authorities confiscated I-cards to force them to attend
College administration said that the video was manipulated; Dhruv Goyal appreciated the student for his courage to speak up and said he was not aware of the ID issue
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An event held at the Thakur College of Science and Commerce in Mumbai's Kandivali where Dhruv Goyal, son of Union Minister and BJP leader Piyush Goyal was addressing first-time voters on Friday has kicked up a row after the students were allegedly forced by the college authorities to sit for the event on voting awareness. (Photo: tcsc.edu.in/)An event held at the Thakur College of Science and Commerce in Mumbai, where Dhruv Goyal, son of Union Minister and BJP leader Piyush Goyal, was addressing first-time voters on Friday, kicked up a row after a video from the event went viral with claims that students were forced by the college authorities to attend it. The college is located in Kandivali, which falls under the Mumbai North constituency from where the Union Minister has been nominated to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on a BJP ticket.
There are accusations that the college authorities forced students to attend the event and confiscated their ID cards to make sure they did. In a viral video of the event, one of the students is seen seeking an explanation from Dhruv for forcing them to attend the event amid exam season. “Is this system of Thakur College administration democratic enough to confiscate students’ IDs and make them visit here compulsorily,” the student asks Dhruv in the video, amid cheer from other students who attended it.
In his address during the event, Dhruv said, “I am not here to tell you whom to vote for. I will obviously have biases. Let your first vote be yours truly, from your heart. Do not let your parents, siblings or anybody else influence you.”
In a separate video from the same event, Dhruv is heard responding to the student who raised the question, with an apology. Congratulating the student for his courage to speak up, Dhruv said, “I was not aware of this. I will speak to the administration that this should never happen. Even if 10 people are coming to listen, I will talk with the same energy. I am actually disheartened by the administration’s action. I apologise to you for this. I will ensure that it does not happen again and if it does, please come and tell me.”
College administration said that the video was manipulated; Dhruv Goyal appreciated the student for his courage to speak up and said he was not aware of the ID issue https://t.co/KsqGrD7Eyt pic.twitter.com/5nQ60MZ9aq
— Express Mumbai (@ie_mumbai) April 1, 2024
The college administration, however, claimed the video is manipulated, “seemingly with political motivations,” read the statement issued by principal Dr Chaitali Chakraborty Saturday.
Adding that the viral video has led to “unwarranted controversy, overshadowing what was an otherwise successful and well-received event,” the statement by the college administration also states that the matter is currently under review by the institution.
The principal blamed Rajya Sabha MP and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi for “disseminating a manipulated video pertaining to the interaction.” Chaturvedi denied this saying she had merely tweeted the video by a news handle. Addressing the principal, Chaturvedi also referred to the video on social media where Dhruv apologised to the student.
Dr Chakraborty, in her statement, said Chaturvedi’s actions “have introduced unnecessary discord into our college environment, unfairly involving our students in a dispute that was uncalled for.”
Leaders from the opposition criticised the college. Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad said the video shows the BJP has created only an illusion that people support them but the reality is different. “The students of this country understand that the government is using its force in politics. This stand taken by the students will show the path to entire nation. I assure them my full support, if they face any trouble from police or the college administration,” said NCP (SP) leader and MLA Jitendra Awhad.
Ahead of Lok Sabha elections, several colleges in Mumbai are holding events aimed at creating awareness about the electoral process, especially among first-time voters, under the centrally launched campaign ‘Mera Pehla Vote Desh ke Liye’. According to students, however, this is untimely due to the ongoing exam season.
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