BHU VC attends iftar on campus, students protest

During the ongoing protest, the students also burnt an effigy of Jain.

A BHU student, who was a part of the agitation, said that the group was objecting to the V-C attending the iftar as it is a new practice started by Jain. “Why doesn’t he attend fasting events during Navratri and Basant Panchami? Why is he only going for iftar? This never happened. It is new, and we condemn it,” he added.

Denying the claim that the practice was a new one, BHU Public Relations Officer Dr Rajesh Singh said, “This is not the first time a V-C has attended an iftar party on campus. It happens every year. Due to the Covid protocol, it could not be organised over the past two years. Our campus is secular and it is not a new practice at all.”

रमज़ान के पाक महीने में आज काशी हिन्दू विश्वविद्यालय स्थित महिला महाविद्यालय में रोज़ा इफ्तार का आयोजन किया गया, जिसमें कुलपति प्रो. सुधीर कुमार जैन भी शामिल हुए। कुलपति जी के साथ महिला महाविद्यालय के रोज़ादार शिक्षक, शिक्षिकाओं व छात्राओं ने अपना रोज़ा खोला व इफ्तार की। #Ramadan pic.twitter.com/xoca4NtSFM

— BHU Official (@bhupro) April 27, 2022

Defending its stance, the varsity’s official Twitter handle posted photographs of the past iftar parties that were hosted on the campus and were attended by former V-Cs along with a series of tweets.

One of the tweets read: “In the holy month of Ramzan, Roza Iftar was organised at Women’s College located at Banaras Hindu University, in which Vice-Chancellor Prof. Sudhir Kumar Jain also participated. Along with the Vice-Chancellor, teachers, teachers and students of the Women’s College broke their fast and had iftar.”

Another tweet said, “On this occasion, the Vice-Chancellor interacted with the students and spoke openly to them. He also asked the students what kind of problems they face. The girl students also shared their views and made them aware of their needs.”

“The Vice-Chancellor said that the BHU administration has a special focus on the development of the women’s college and increasing the facilities for the girl students and many positive efforts have been made in this direction. The girls were also very excited to find the Vice-Chancellor in their midst and they also clicked a selfie with the Vice-Chancellor,” read another tweet.

A BHU official said that only a handful of students attended the protest on Wednesday evening. “These students are opportunists who’re looking for publicity. They have no ideology. They are pursuing a diploma from the varsity and their only objective is to ruin the peaceful atmosphere in the varsity,” said the official.

Adhokshaj Pandey, a student of BHU’s department of Jyotish, said, “I feel the V-C’s move to attend an iftar was wrong. What if in the future someone organises a Navratri party in the hostel. Will the V-C attend it? A V-C attending an iftar party has never happened in the past.”