Hyderabad’s English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) has rushed once again to police seeking their help in handling a students’ issue, which should have ideally been resolved by the varsity administration, says students forums.
In a statement, Jamia Students Solidarity Forum (JSSF) and Forum for Student Democracy (FSD) condemned the implication of six EFLU students – four from minority communities and two women students.
These students, majority of them from the SC/ST/OBC communities, were charged for allegedly “promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc. and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony…”.
FSD and JSSF recalled recent manhandling of students by right wing hooligans in the FTII campus in Pune, and observed that the saffronites in Khaki openly and brazenly supported them in their attempt to create mayhem and constraining all which is progressive.
“In our view, the EFLU administration should have resorted to a more mature and holistic measure even in case, they sensed a possible mishandling of the event or any negative message being originated thereof, a University level enquiry following all the due procedures should have been instigated by the administration as per Supreme Court ruling…”
The apex court earlier (4th May 2001) directed in ruling that “acts of indiscipline and misbehavior on the part of the students must primarily be dealt within the institution and by exercise of the disciplinary authority of the teachers over the students and of the management of the institutions over the teachers and students.
“Students ought on to ordinarily be subjected to police action unless it be unavoidable. The students going to educational institutions for learning should not remain under constant fear of being dealt with by police and sent to jail and face the courts.”
Considering the unfortunate developments in the campus, FSD and JSSF requested the EFLU administration to look into the matter from a neutral perspective and act in the best interest of the broader section of student community.
Further, the forums appealed the EFLU administration to promote a culture of open spaces and greater debates in the campus believing it to be “the only way forward towards resolving any such issue concerning the relation between the student community and the administration”.
