BeyondHeadlines News Desk
New Delhi: Asian Centre for Human Rights has filed a complaint today with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) against Hindi-sation of Delhi University for effective exclusion of the students from the North East India in clear violation of the Article 14 of the Constitution of India relating to the right to equality and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Minorities.
Under the current system, students taking admission to the Delhi University are allowed to take any other subjects instead of Modern Indian Languages (MIL) if any student has not studied MIL at the qualifying level i.e. Higher Secondary and Secondary School.
However, a Committee set up by the Delhi University for structuring of Syllabus for under graduate courses has recently made it compulsory for all students to opt for either Hindi or 22 other Modern Indian Languages in the graduation course of the Delhi University.
“This is nothing but a conspiracy to keep the students of the North East India out of the Delhi University. This is an act against national integration.” – stated Mr Suhas Chakma, Director of Asian Centre for Human Rights.
Citing the problems of the North Eastern students, Asian Centre for Human Rights stated there are hundreds of languages in North East India but only three languages i.e. Bodo, Assamese and Manipuri are recognized as MIL. The students are taught in various other languages such as Mizo and Khasi upto university level but these are not recognized as MIL. As students are not taught MIL but their languages, they will be effectively booted out from the Delhi University. Further, not a single college under the Delhi University has a faculty to teach Bodo, Assamese and Manipuri, it implies that all the North Eastern students will be affected.
Even those students who study MIL other than Hindi will be deprived and be denied the opportunity of admission. Hindi is the only MIL which is taught in every college and the colleges do not have the faculty to teach other MIL. For example, Miranda House has faculty only for Hindi, Punjabi and Bangla, while at Khalsa College has only for Hindi and Punjabi. Those who learn in Tamil, Oriya, Telegu, Marathi etc will equally be affected.
“The Delhi University is promoting ghetoisation based on languages in order to deny equal opportunity to non-Hindi speaking students.” – further stated Mr. Chakma.
The NHRC has been urged to intervene against discriminatory and anti-national activity of Delhi University and direct the University to revoke its new policy to introduce Hindi or other MIL as a compulsory subject and make Hindi or other MIL optional and allow the students who have not studied MIL to take other subjects in lieu of Hindi or MILs.
