DU suspends PhD law scholar after physical assault on professor; teachers' body seeks 'strict action'

The University of Delhi (DU) has suspended a law PhD student and barred his entry into the campus with immediate effect after he allegedly physically assaulted a senior professor. Several teachers' groups have demanded strong action against the student and raised concerns over the safety of teachers at the university.

Shubham Singh, a PhD scholar at the faculty of law, admitted in the academic session 2024-25, assaulted the teacher as he was entering the building. The CCTV footage reveals that the student was waiting for the teacher outside the building and started beating the teacher as he was entering the building.

Delhi University's notice said the suspension action was taken after CCTV footage was received by the university regarding an incident that occurred at around 10:30 am at Umang Bhawan, involving the alleged misconduct.

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Inquiry committee to submit report

According to a Press Trust of India (PTI) report, DU Proctor Manoj Kumar Singh said that the university has also constituted an independent enquiry committee to investigate the alleged misconduct and submit its report. The three-member committee is headed by Rajeev Gupta of the Department of Chemistry, while Vipul Singh of the Department of History and Sudha Singh of the Department of Hindi are its members.

The inquiry committee has been asked to investigate the case and submit its report.

AADTA condemns attack on professor

"Cases of violence against teachers have risen substantially during the tenure of this VC and his team. It is extremely ironic that the VC who tries to stop students and teachers from going to Jantar Mantar protests through his X-handle is unable to prevent incidents of violence against the teaching community of his own University," Mithuraaj Dhusiya, an elected member of the Executive Council (EC), said.

DU VC Yogesh Singh was reappointed earlier in July this year for a second term of five years by the ministry of education (MoE).

Teacher's group AADTA said in its statement that such "violent aggression" against the teacher is concerning. It raised questions over teachers' safety and said, "In such a situation of fear and apprehensions, how will the teachers be able to discharge their duties without fear? We demand that the university administration must take the exemplary strictest possible action immediately so that such an incident doesn't occur again.

AADTA also demanded that Delhi Police take "strict action" in the matter and ensure "peace" on campus.

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DTF recalls similar case

DTF recalled a similar incident from last year and said that teachers' safety has been "repeatedly compromised." Last year, the DUSU joint secretary Deepika Jha slapped a professor at Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar College.

Jha was suspended from college for two months; however, she was allowed to attend her classes and sit in exams. DTF has highlighted that several professors at the faculty of law were verbally abused by a student in a separate incident.

All of the cases raise serious questions about the safety of teachers on campus and the administration's ability to guarantee their physical security, DTF said.

The teachers' group has further demanded DU administration put clear and enforceable measures to prevent further attacks on teachers.