Delhi University: SFI opposes naming new DU college after Veer Savarkar; urges name change to Savitribai Phule

NEW DELHI: The University of Delhi's (DU) Students' Federation of India (SFI) has written to the vice-chancellor of the University expressing its opposition to the decision to name the new college in Najafgarh after Vinayak Damodar Savarkar . The SFI has urged the university to reconsider the decision and rename the college after Savitribai Phule.

“On behalf of the Students' Federation of India, we want to register our dissent against the naming of Najafgarh College after Savarkar and request you to change the name to Savitribai Phule, in order to uphold the progressive legacy of the University of Delhi and to promote equitable education for all,” the official letter read.

The letter states that Savarkar, who was against the very constitutional ideas of equality, liberty and fraternity for all should not be commemorated by naming a college after him. His ideology contradicts the principles of India's pluralistic and democratic ethos.

Highlighting the history of DU and its founding colleges like Ramjas, Zakir Hussain, and Hindu, the federation said that the foundation of such colleges was laid by the freedom fighters of our country who wanted educational spaces for students of this nation that were inclusive and rich in diverse cultures.

Protest against naming decision

The SFI points out that the institute chose January 3, the birth anniversary of Savitribai Phule, as the date to lay the foundation for this college named after Savarkar. Savitribai Phule was a pioneering Indian social reformer, educator, and poet who played a crucial role in challenging caste and gender-based discrimination in 19th-century India. “We regard her as the first female teacher in India,” the letter read.

Vinayak Savarkar, however, opposed inclusive education for all students. He is unworthy of having the Najafgarh College named after him because of his disparaging remarks against Indian women's educational rights, the SFI’s letter read.

East and West DU campuses added

On January 3, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, virtually laid the foundation stones for two new Delhi University campuses and a college named after BJP ideologue Veer Savarkar.

The East Campus in Surajmal Vihar and the West Campus in Dwarka Sector 22 are being added to the existing North and South campuses. Prime Minister Modi also laid the foundation stone for Veer Savarkar College in Roshanpura, Najafgarh, located just a five-minute walk from the West Campus.