July 23, 2019 was an eventful day for the Delhi University — ABVP protested and urged the HODs to consider student representation in the syllabus committees to allow rational debate, the professors accused them of hooliganism and that the police was of no help and some teachers and left-leaning organisations took out a protest rally in the North Campus of DU "to save the academic freedom in the campus".
All India Students' Association called for a march in defence of academic freedom and against ABVP’s interference in the syllabus making of various departments of DU, namely English, History, Sociology and Political Science. "Hundreds joined the march which included students of English Department, members of AISA, SFI, KYS, Pinjra Tod, DSU and teachers of Delhi University as well," said Kawalpreet Kaur, President of AISA. "The task of designing the syllabus is an exercise done by the professors of the departments who have full autonomy to make courses of their own. It is shameful that today DU administration allowed the ABVP to enter premises of Head of Departments of Social Science courses where they were seen threatening the professors to mould the syllabus according to the wishes of the ABVP. Such an atmosphere of fear defeats the very purpose of a democratic university.”
Aseif Ali, a student of English Department, said “It saddens me to see our department being demonised by the ABVP. There is an atmosphere of threat in the entire department. Our department teaches students to develop a critical perspective that is why it has come under attack from the ABVP. We stand in support of our professors.”
The administration's stand in the whole issue has also come under fire from both sides, “It is saddening to see ABVP’s constant involvement in threats and attacks and the DU administration’s deafening silence about it. It is high time that the students and teachers should come together and fight for their academic freedom,” said Abha Dev Habib, who teaches at Miranda House said.
