DU teachers write to Vice-Chancellor; demand justice for former ad-hoc lecturer who died last week

NEW DELHI: A section of teachers on Tuesday wrote to Delhi University Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh demanding justice for a former ad hoc teacher who died last week and demanded the absorption of temporary teachers. Students and teachers of Delhi University also held a press conference over "massive ongoing displacement" in the backdrop of the "institutional murder" of Samarveer Singh. Samarveer allegedly died by suicide on April 26 in the Rani Bagh area.

Teachers representing Common Teachers Forum, Democratic Teachers Front, Delhi Teachers Initiative, Indian National Teachers Congress (Indira) and Samajwaadi Shikshak Manch participated in the press conference. Also present were teachers representing Staff Association Zakir Husain Delhi College (ZHDC), Swami Shraddhanand College (SSN) and elected teachers' representatives in Academic Council and DUTA Executive.

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"The institutional murder of Samarveer Singh cannot be allowed to fade from public memory and we demand justice for him and for others who have lost their jobs. All displaced ad hoc and temporary teachers must be absorbed against vacancies on which no teacher is currently working," a joint statement said.

"The only acceptable solution is the absorption of all ad hoc and temporary teachers keeping the constitutional provision of reservation and the reservation roster in mind. All the teachers' organisations and teachers who participated in the press conference have sent a letter to the Vice Chancellor highlighting these issues and demanding justice for Samarveer and for all ad hoc and temporary teachers of Delhi University," it added.

The figures of displacement provided by the DU administration and the DUTA leadership are a "gross underestimation of the real extent of the tragedy that we are witnessing", the teachers pointed out. "The National Education Policy aims to further privatisation and commercialisation of education which has been in the form of job cuts at various points in the last 10 years.

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In the past, DUTA has led successful struggles against these anti-education policies. However, the current leadership not only does not lead any resistance, it actually is in the forefront of demobilisation of the teachers movement and is complicit in whatever is happening today in the University," they said in a joint press statement.

Several teachers including Nandita Narain (former DUTA and FEDCUTA President and President of DTF), Ratan Lal (senior activist from Hindu college), Suraj Yadav (from Swami Shraddhanand College), Aftab Alam (Zakir Hussain College) and Udaibir Singh (member DUTA Executive from INTEC (I)) spoke about the issue.

Rusham and Keshavi, students of Samarveer Singh at Hindu College, spoke about the "grim and infuriating times which they are experiencing".

Subhjeet from the Physics Department, Ramjas College, spoke about the plight of teachers who did not have a permanent job, with no security for their families.

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During the press conference, Puneet and Samaa, students from Hans Raj College, spoke about how some of the best teachers were "thrown out". "The quality of teaching had declined. People are not being appointed for teaching but for ideological reasons. Around 50-60 teachers have lost their jobs in HRC," Puneet said.

AAP MLA Rajendra Pal Gautam sent a message of solidarity with the issues that the teachers and students are raising. "A key axis of this assault on higher education is the displacement of serving ad hoc teachers and temporary teachers, many of whom have been unceremoniously shown the door despite long years of teaching, contribution to the institution and exemplary research work. This is an attack on lives and livelihoods, evidenced by what has happened to Samarveer Singh," the joint statement mentioned.