‘Arrest Attree!’: DU teachers, students demand immediate removal of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College principal

NEW DELHI: The All India Students Association (AISA) of the Delhi University, along with other student organisations held a protest at the vice-chancellor’s office demanding immediate termination of ‘casteist’ principal of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, Arun Kumar Attree.

Ten days after a third-year dalit student pursuing BA Hindi (Hons) at Delhi University filed a complaint against the SBSC principal of physical assault and casteist slurs, the police are yet to file an FIR, the student protesters said in a statement.

The student organisations led the protest with the slogan “Not an inch back until justice! Arrest Attree!” A delegation consisting of Abha Dev, AISA DU president Shantanu, and Sumit along with other students also submitted a memorandum at the VC office demanding the removal of Arun Kumar Attree from SBSC and aid in the police inquiry.

The teachers and students jointly demanded that “Attree be removed from a position which gives him access to tamper with evidence and inquiry”. Speaking at the protest, AISA DU President Shantanu, said: "We have filed the complaint more than a week back. The police are shamelessly delaying the inquiry giving enough time to Attree to play his move. We demand that he be immediately removed from his position of power which he is known to abuse."

Abha Dev Habib, faculty at Miranda House said: "Our University has been surrendered to casteist lumpens who feel that they have complete immunity. We stand with Sumit and we will make an example out of Attree that DU will not tolerate casteism!"

Condemning the incident, Rudrashis Chakraborty, faculty at KMC, said: "We salute Sumit and his brave fight against casteism. The VC must answer how Attree gets this liberty to do so to a student."