Wardha expels 6 students who wrote letters to PM Modi

NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 12: Mahatma Gandhi Antarashtriya Hindi Viswavidyalaya (MGAHV) in Wardha, Maharashtra has expelled six students for allegedly ‘breaking the model code of conduct’ by organising an open letter campaign to write to the prime minister on various issues plaguing the country.

Hundreds of students had gathered in the university premises on Wednesday to commemorate the death of a revolutionary, Pandit Kashiram, and were collectively writing postcards to the prime minister seeking his intervention to stop rising cases of mob lynching and to draw his attention to the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

Following this, six students including two PhD scholars, two diploma students and an M.Phil scholar were served expulsion notice on Thursday (October10, 2019). The notice stated that the students were “expelled for breaking the 2019 assembly election code of conduct and interfering in the judicial process.

Targeted for letters

The students alleged that they were being targeted for writing to the prime minister rather than for the reason stated in the notice.“If university students can’t come together to openly talk about the issues faced by this country, then where can they do it?” asks Rajneesh Kumar, one of the suspended students.

However, the Acting Vice Chancellor Krishna Kumar Singh told The Indian Express that “ Action was taken in view of the prohibition in force against protests in groups during the period of model code of conduct for the Maharashtra assembly election. Our letter is very clear on the matter.”

The students have accused the university administration of taking action without even verifying whether those suspended were actually students of the university.“I finished my MBA last year and had just come to get my migration certificate. I stood with the students for solidarity. The administration is just taking action without verifying anything,” said Sarthi, a member of All India Students' Association (AISA), the student wing of CPI(ML).

Jamia students suspended

In a similar instance, five students of Jamia Millia Islamia have been served show cause notice for protesting against the ‘Global Zenit Confluence’ on October 5 which the students alleged to be backed by the large scale human rights violator, Israel.

The administration on October 11 asked the students for clarification for “not informing/seeking permission from the proctor’s office” prior to the protest and “not informing the authorities on the reason for protest.”

Among those served with show cause notice, two belong to the student faction AISA.