Three students of the Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD) Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, functioning under the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in Sriperumbudur have alleged that the institution has arbitrarily rusticated them on the charge of defacing hostel property with “content of an anti-national” nature.
Aslam S, Sayeedh MA, and Nahal Ibnu Abullaise were pursuing second and final year of Master in Social work (MSW) at the institute and were supposed to write their final exam on Monday. However, they were served rustication letters on Sunday, suspending them from the institute and expelling them from hostel.
Institute authorities could not be reached for a comment until Monday night. Messages and calls to institute Director Subrata Hazra and Disciplinary Committee Chairperson S Suresh were not answered, stated a report by The New Indian Express.
The students claimed that the institute had “planned” the entire episode in advance so as to disallow them from writing the exam.
"We have been targeted by the administration for taking lead in a recent protest demanding the resignation of a senior administrative staff against whom sexual harassment charges have been leveled," Nahal told The New Indian Express.
According to Nahal, on May 22, a few hostel officials noticed slogans such as “Free Palestine” and "Jai Bhim" written on the hostel wall, following which they inspected the hostel.
However, Nahal contended that the inspection was limited to only a few rooms on a single floor. Acknowledging that they found some empty beer bottles and fabric colors in their room, Nahal alleged that the authorities immediately jumped to conclusion and took action against the three and four more students in the room.
While the three were rusticated forthwith, the other four were expelled from hostel but allowed to sit for the exam.
The letters served to the three said that the competent authority of the institute took a serious view of their involvement in “gross misconduct within the hostel premises — specifically, the defacement of hostel property with content of an anti-national nature”.
Highlighting that the students were given an opportunity to present their case on Friday, May 23, the letters, however, said based on the material evidence and overall circumstances “the Disciplinary Committee is of the considered view that there is sufficient ground to conclude his involvement in the defacement of hostel property with objectionable content”, according to the report by The New Indian Express.
The three, who categorically denied involvement in the writing or display of slogans on the hostel property, said in a statement that they are contemplating to move the Madras HC against the order.
"Use of terms such as “anti-national” is defamatory, baseless, and extremely damaging to our academic and professional futures", the three students said in a statement.
“During the inquiry, the disciplinary committee did not ask me anything about the slogans. They just asked me about the empty beer bottles. I just don't know how ‘Jai Bhim’ and ‘Free Palestine’ are anti-national content," said Nahal.
The students, in the statement, said there is no record of violence, disruption, or any unlawful behavior on their part that justified such severe allegations and argued that the disciplinary process was “biased and unjust”.
The students demanded that, besides quashing the order, re-examination should be conducted for them.
