‘I want justice, not job’: How a Dalit professor is fighting against casteism in DU

New Delhi: Two sides of the slogans — Jai Shri Ram versus Jai Bhim — echoed in the air and Delhi Police stood like a wall between them. On one hand, the country was busy preparing for the construction of Ram Temple, while on the other hand, no one paid attention to the growing protest in a corner of Delhi. This was the 148th day of the fight of the former Dalit professor of Delhi University (DU) against the principal of Daulat Ram College. Holding the Constitution in her hands and filled with the spirit of Baba Saheb Ambedkar, Phule and Savitri Bai, Ritu Singh is fighting a battle that now seems bigger than her own cause — she alleges that the university canceled her appointment in 2020 Did it because she was a Dalit.

From Azad of the Bhim Army to farmers in Punjab, laborers working in a hut in Delhi to DU students and small children with their parents, Ritu Singh’s opposition has come from a cross section of colleagues, comrades and even leaders. It has resonated with Congress leaders, including Congress leader Srinivas, former Delhi minister Rajendra Pal Gautam and former MP Udit Raj and BSP MP Girish Chandra.

Advocate Mahmood Pracha, representing the professor in the Delhi High Court, had said during the protests at Jantar Mantar two years ago, “Dr. Ritu Singh is today’s Ekalavya. Like Ekalavya, his thumb is being chopped off.”

Singh said, referring to the Delhi Police’s action in which it tried to break up the protests on January 10 by putting up a poster calling for the imposition of Section 144, “We were lathicharged, Blue flags removed… why am I being treated like this? Why is exploitation happening? In a democracy, the people and the streets are the strongest. The most powerful voice is that of the people.” However, Singh’s supporters said that no such order was passed when hundreds of people had gathered at the celebratory ABVP event in Ayodhya on January 22.

A moment of Bhim Army

An ad-hoc psychology professor, Singh joined Daulatram College in 2019, but within a year she was removed and her contract was not renewed. “The university VC is not suspending Savita Roy (principal) even after the charge sheet has been filed in the Delhi High Court,” Ritu, wearing a black muffler as a symbol of protest, told ThePrint. We are fighting for his suspension and we will not step back even an inch. His slogan is justice, not job.

28-year-old Singh, a resident of Tarn Taran district of Punjab, has done PhD in Psychology from Delhi University.

On August 10, 2020, when Singh went to join Daulatram College, she was not given the joining letter. Singh claims that Savita Roy wanted to expel him because I had talked about Ambedkar and Dalits.

After Ritu Singh took the matter of her dismissal to the Delhi High Court, Savita Roy submitted a letter in her defence, which was signed by 35 students expressing their dissatisfaction with Singh’s teaching methods.

Amid allegations of poor teaching practices and caste discrimination, Ritu Singh’s case has reached the High Court and has given a boost to DU’s fledgling Bhim Army student federation. This is their first major protest, on January 22, more than 50 people were sitting on a dharna outside Gate No. 4 of DU Arts Faculty. This is their first mobilization in a campus dominated by All India Student Union (AISA), Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and National Students Union of India (NSUI). This protest is also giving Azad a much needed inspirational moment. The Dalit student movement in DU — Bhim Army Student Federation (BASF) — has been active since 2019.

While placing Jai Bhim blue flags on trees and flower pots near the protest site, BASF President at Delhi University Ashutosh Boudh said, this is not a normal fight. He said, “This is the first time that a Dalit professor in Delhi University is demanding justice for herself and that too in such a fearless manner. Their fight is the fight of the entire society.”

And Singh is also making sure that this fight is not just about her own rights. She sees a larger theme in her tragedy and has taken it upon herself to educate and equip others — she turned the protest site into a university classroom, with blue flags on the perimeter and refreshments for visitors/supporters — peanuts. and namakpare — available. She conducts Constitution classes here every day and reads the Preamble of the Constitution to the people who come to support her and the supporters sitting on the ground, ranging from the elderly to the youth, repeat it after her.

His tutorials are fascinating, people often ask him to repeat them if they do not understand an argument. Once she finished reading the introduction, one of the protesters asked her to repeat the line because she was speaking too fast. Unlike JNU professors Nivedita Menon and Ayesha Kidwai, who held open quiz sessions with students on campus, Singh’s approach appears to be more direct and engaging and those not paying attention face a rebuke — “Don’t beat around the bush. See. Look at your sister who is talking about the Constitution. You all are Ambedkar’s children.” In between, she also lashes out at Delhi Police.

Outside the university’s metro station, Singh tells students about her incident and gives them posters of her protest.

Ambedkar, Phule, Savitri Bai and the Constitution are mentioned repeatedly in Singh’s speeches. She says, “We got our rights because of Ambedkar. Is it a crime to talk about your rights? Is this rebellion? If this is rebellion then I will do it again and again.”

30-year-old Jamwant works as a daily wage laborer living in Ashok Nagar, Delhi. When he reached the faculty on January 22 to support Singh, he had books on Ambedkar which he had bought from Jantar Mantar. Like Jamwant, dozens of young and old people gathered and demanded justice for Ritu. However, most of them were men.

Jamwant, sitting under a tree near the protest site, said, “This is the fight of our community (Dalits). The administration has done wrong to our sister. They have fired him from his job, it is our responsibility to support him. That’s why I have come here.”

Police and university’s eyes

The local police and university are constantly monitoring their protests. SHO of Maurice Nagar police station, Bijendra Chhillar said, “We have removed them several times, but they keep coming back. These people are demonstrating without permission. Because of them, security has to be maintained here.”

Teachers at Daulat Ram College agree that Singh has been vocal on social issues. A professor, on condition of anonymity, said, “Even when she taught here, she was very vocal and expressed her views without any fear. The fight they are fighting is legitimate. It is everyone’s right to demand their rights.”

His fight with Daulat Ram College is not his first fight. Singh has been vocal on social issues and has previously participated in several protests at Jantar Mantar. She has also opposed the three agricultural laws of the Modi government. On January 31, he took part in the EVM Hatao rally at Jantar Mantar.

Even in religious politics, Singh gives a vocal challenge to the current Modi government. Holding the Constitution in his hand, he said, “The state should keep itself separate from religion, but what is the situation today? State sponsored politics and riots are taking place. As long as Ambedkarite people are alive in India, we will not allow the Constitution of India to be destroyed.”

The university administration is constantly monitoring this protest and the police informs the VC about the protests every day.

Citing that the matter is pending in the court, the university did not give any statement on this issue. Abbi, who has been the mayor of Delhi from BJP, said, “The university will accept the decision given by the court. We are bound by the court order. The matter is still under consideration, so it would not be right to say much.”

Online access

The movement has also received support online, with ‘Justice for Ritu’ trending on X on several occasions over the past few months.

On Facebook, Singh has added ‘The Activist’ before his name along with a picture of him addressing a rally as the cover photo.

With 1.46 lakh followers on Facebook and over 43,000 followers on Facebook, Singh is popular on the online platform. He has around one lakh followers on Instagram and his bio reads, “Activist, thinker, scholar and Ambedkarite”. Singh posts regular updates about her protest videos, including live streaming. One of his recent WhatsApp statuses read, “Thousands of difficulties will be seen, but the scene will be very beautiful when the struggle will make noise.”

?Highlighting Dalit identity is a big part of their online presence. “We are constantly hearing propaganda of hatred and division,” he said at the protest site in DU on January 22. Therefore, it is my responsibility to express the words of Ambedkar.”

His protest site is also attracting YouTubers from small towns who are impressed by Singh’s oratory skills and personality. They take selfies with Singh and post them on their social media accounts. Singh also enjoys these fan moments. With her eloquence and patience, she is gaining somewhat of a star status among the protesters and is fast becoming the poster child of Ambedkar’s fight against the ongoing churning at Delhi University.

But amidst all this, they are focused on their fight for justice.

Singh said that she is standing here only because of Ambedkar. Ritu declares, “I will run the university from the road because a criminal did not allow me to teach in the college.”

Courtesy: The print

Note: This news was originally published in theprint.in and was used solely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes exclusively for Human Rights.

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