Ankiv Baisoya
Members of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) and the All India Students’ Association (AISA) held parallel protests in Delhi University on Thursday, against alleged inaction by the varsity in probing the legitimacy of DUSU president Ankiv Baisoya’s admission.
Baisoya secured admission in MA Buddhist Studies in July, and submitted BA marksheets from Thiruvalluvar University as qualifying certificates. The NSUI alleged that he had submitted fake certificates. The Thiruvalluvar University registrar also wrote to the Tamil Nadu Department of Higher Education, stating that Baisoya was neither enrolled in the varsity nor in any of its constituent or affiliated colleges.
Head of department K T S Sarao said, “I have already attached Baisoya’s marksheets for all six semesters of BA that he had submitted to us and sent it to Thiruvalluvar University, asking them to confirm if they are fake or real. I’m yet to receive a response. Since the university registrar’s email or phone number is not mentioned on the website, I had to send it by registered post which makes matters slower.”
AISA DU president Kawalpreet Kaur said, “Students cannot be presided over by representatives who are criminals. The matter has been in the public domain for 20 days, and the university has just been sitting on it…” During the protest, a group of NSUI members allegedly entered the extension building in the university’s Faculty of Arts and broke windows and damaged property. A police complaint was lodged.
Akshay Lakra, NSUI Delhi state president, denied the allegations: “We were to meet the Head of the Buddhist Studies department at 1.30 pm. I and another member had gone to meet him, but we were told he was not there. We were then chased away by security guards and police. False allegations of vandalism have been made against us.”
CCTV footage from the department shows men brandishing lathis, breaking the glass of the notice board, kicking down doors, and pulling out fire extinguishers.