Two student activists from Lucknow University were issued show cause notices after they were planning to organise a lecture to be delivered by Professor Ravi Kant on Rohith Vemula today, January 17. It marks seven years today, 17, January since Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula died by suicide at the University of Hyderabad after facing casteist discrimination on campus.
The lecture titled Social Discrimination, Violence and Political Witch-hunt in Educational Institutions was to be delivered today. Students informed EdexLive that they started distributing pamphlets for the same on January 13. "Immediately, we were asked to come to the proctor's office wherein we were asked if we had the permission to distribute these pamphlets. Usually, there is no need to get permission for distributing such pamphlets on open grounds but they asked us to get it from the registrar," said Anjali, Convenor of All India Students' Association (AISA) in Lucknow University. She was one of the student activists who was issued the show cause notice.
She further informed that they gave a written application seeking permission from the registrar on January 13. "We went to visit the office yesterday (January 16) but the offices were closed. We were issued show cause notices dated January 14," she added. In the notice issued, it has been said that 'misleading and ungrounded' allegations have been levelled against Lucknow University in the pamphlet designed and circulated for the programme, a statement issued by AISA said.
The show cause notice (issued by the office of the proctor), which EdexLive has a copy of, also stated that Section 144 has been imposed by the district administration "to maintain peace and order in Lucknow city". "By the press release dated December 17, 2022 of this office, programs without permission are completely banned in the common campus of Lucknow University. Nevertheless, a malicious attempt has been made to spread disorder by distributing pamphlets in the university campus to organise a program on January 17, 2023 at 12:30 pm at Tagore lawn, Lucknow University," the notice stated (roughly translated from Hindi).
It also directed students to present their written explanation within two days, failing which, "the process of advance disciplinary action will be taken", the notice said. Meanwhile, AISA responded by stating, "We would like to ask the university administration and LU proctor, does fighting and struggling for the problems faced by students, especially from backward and marginalised communities, due to discontinuation of scholarships and continuous fee hikes which is shattering the dream of receiving affordable and quality education constitutes crossing the limits of students?"
Along with demanding that the show cause notices to AISA-LU Convenor Anjali and Co-convenor Samar be revoked, they are also planning to carry out a march on the campus today, remembering Rohith Vemula. The lecture, however, will not be held as the concerned professor refused to participate.
