Lucknow's Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University Dalit Students Union (AUDSU) has started a protest against the university administration for permitting rituals to be conducted by a group of right-wing students at a Shiv temple located within the campus premises during Navratri. They are urging the university to construct a place of worship, akin to a church, gurudwara, or mosque, in order to respect the religious sentiments of students from various faiths, as stated in a report by IANS.
Speaking on this, a law department student representing the Dalit union Dheeraj Kumar said, "The university must acknowledge the diverse religious backgrounds of its student body. All students hold strong beliefs in their respective religions. There should be no space for religious activities on campus; only academic events should be allowed. The leadership of BBAU should contemplate our request and create a place of worship for students from different religious backgrounds."
The Dalit student union contends that the university should not have permitted the construction of a Shiv temple on the campus in the first place which was built in 2014. Further, they have alleged that the university has extended invitations to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leaders and allowed the entry of "right-wingers" for events, thereby, "compromising" the campus' secular ethos.
Dalit students expressed their discontent as "right-wingers" were allowed to conduct hawan and rituals at the Shiv mandir during Navratri. They argue that the university must respect the religious sentiments of students of all faiths or should not allow rituals of one religion exclusively. Meanwhile, the university administration clarified that they had not granted permission for hawan rituals to be performed. These rituals have been a routine practice for several years, as stated in a report by IANS.
