vc-under-fire-as-rgnul-students-continue-sit-in-protest

The students of Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL) in Punjab's Patiala intensified their sit-in protest for the fourth consecutive day, on Wednesday demanding the resignation of Vice-Chancellor Professor Jai Shankar Singh. 

 

The escalating unrest comes in the wake of allegations that Singh and his associates are attempting to silence dissent among students through intimidation and threats.

 

As the protest entered its fourth day, students alleged that the Vice-Chancellor, along with “his aides from Uttar Pradesh who are politically influential,” made calls to them and their parents in an effort to suppress the demonstration. The students claim that their parents were warned that their child “would be expelled from the university if he/she continues to participate in the protest.”

 

The controversy surrounding VC Singh, who hails from Prayagraj and previously served as the dean of the law department at the University of Allahabad, escalated following an unannounced inspection of the girls’ hostels, during which students accused him of making "casual and sexist remarks" about their attire, career choices, and personal lives.

 

One protesting student recounted his alarming experience, stating, “Today, the V-C called me and my parents. Later, my parents received another call from a politically influential person from UP. The V-C told me to come and meet him and asked why I was protesting against him despite being from UP. Later, he called my parents and said, ‘Your child is there to study, not to protest. Why is he participating in this protest?’”

 

The allegations of intimidation did not stop there. Another student shared that his father received a similar call from the V-C, who warned, “Your son is very active in the protest and he can be expelled.”

 

The father’s response was defiant, stating that such threats would not intimidate them. “My father said that he could not threaten us with expulsion, and then the V-C calmed down. He said, ‘Ask your son to come and talk,’” the student recounted.

 

This student later met with VC Singh, who implied that if students engaged with him directly, their parents would not receive threatening calls. “We told the faculty that this is affecting the mental health of the students and their parents. The faculty have assured us that protesting students will not be expelled,” he added.

 

When approached for comment, VC Singh initially stated, “I will speak to you after 15 minutes as I am talking to some students right now.” However, he subsequently did not respond to further inquiries.

 

Dr Naresh Vats, Officiating Registrar of the varsity, clarified, “I have no idea if the V-C has called students and their parents or not, but no student can be expelled for protesting. We have only informed parents via mail that the university is closed. There was a proposal to contact parents, but I had told the V-C that we should not do it.”

 

The roots of this unrest can be traced back to Sunday when protests erupted after VC Singh conducted an unannounced inspection of the girls’ hostels. Students voiced their outrage, alleging repeated sexist comments made by Singh regarding women students’ clothing and lifestyle choices. The VC, however, firmly denied these allegations.

 

“Students have been protesting for 72+ hours in scorching heat and non-conducive weather conditions. So far, three of them have faced severe physical consequences and have required immediate medical assistance. Senior administration members have denied help on the pretext of not having the power to help in this matter,” a statement from the student's protest maintained.

 

Furthermore, the student body pointed out, “Access to washrooms and closed roof areas has been denied despite the harsh weather conditions outside. The same has been done on the reasoning of the University being closed, which was a decision in direct retaliation to the protests. In another drastic measure by the administration, parents of the students protesting have been contacted to stifle the protests and create consequences for individual students. There also exists a looming threat of expulsion given by the administration against everyone involved.”

 

Despite the administration’s claims that students did not attend meetings, student representatives had indeed made efforts to voice their demands for open discussions with the VC rather than behind-closed-doors negotiations with faculty members.

 

The statement from the student body further clarified, “We would like to clarify that the protest does not hold any political affiliations and the student body has expressly refrained from making any political statements. We continue to condemn the actions of the vice-chancellor and continue to stand by our earlier stated demands.”

 

Dr Vats, while denying claims that washrooms were locked, stated, “We have even kept the academic block open for students to sit, protest and do whatever they want.”

 

In a local media interview, VC Singh refuted the allegations of misconduct, claiming, “I could not even think of misbehaving with women students who were like my daughters/granddaughters. All allegations against me are false. We are trying to solve all of them via negotiations. I have turned 60, and all of them are like my granddaughters. I never had any corruption charges against me. We will do everything possible keeping the interest of students, especially women, as a priority and for their education. I had only gone to check the space issue in some rooms in the girls’ hostel during lunch hour.”

 

Amidst the rising tensions, Raj Lalli Gill, chairperson of the Punjab State Commission for Women, visited the RGNUL campus on Wednesday evening.

 

She held discussions with the protesting students and announced plans to form a committee to address their grievances. 

 

This committee would comprise student representatives and faculty members, with the possibility of including an administrative representative if deemed necessary.