Sends history department legal notice, says he's being victimised for objecting to 'anti-culture' essay book
Sends history department legal notice, says he's being victimised for objecting to 'anti-culture' essay book
A Postgraduate history student of Delhi University has alleged that he is being victimised by two teachers. One
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of the teachers is BP Sahu. The other:
's daughter, Professor Upender Singh.
The student, Amitabh Amit, told MiD DAY that he was given very poor marks in two subjects and in one instance his marks were not added to his overall score because he was one of the students who had protested against the inclusion of AK Ramanujan's collection of essays Three Hundred Ramayanas in the syllabus. The protesting students had called the essays distortion of ancient Indian culture in February last year.
Amitabh Amit's lawyer sent a letter to history head of the department Saiyid Zaheer Hussain Jafri on February 13, stating: "My client was shocked to see his marksheet of MA Final he obtained good marks in all papers, but in Paper II and VI [he got] only 32 per cent."
When MiD DAY called up Singh at her residence, we were told she was abroad. There was no response to calls on her cellphone.
The head of the department dismissed foul play.
"There is a responsible committee which looks into the marking system," said Jafri. "If he got less marks in any of the papers, it has nothing to do with me. Above all, he is not my student. He is a student of ancient history while I teach medieval history."
But Amit is candid. "Just after the incident last year, Jafri called me up and said he would make sure I didn't get 55 per cent marks. Their wish has come true. I got 53.37 per cent and couldn't apply for M.Phil or B.Ed," he said. "I filed many applications to seek information under the Right To Information Act but none of them were properly answered. Sometimes the reply would be incomplete. At other times, same question got different answers."
In a letter to the university registrar on December 19, he appealed against being denied information under
the RTI.
"I suspect the whole matter is related to daughter of the PM Upender Singh, who is also a professor in the history department. She has also given me poor marks. That's why the department and some university officers are indulging in flattery," he said.
Amit's plans
He considers himself fortunate to have cleared his Bihar Public Service Commission exams. He secured the 57th rank and has been absorbed as the information and broadcasting officer. "I am waiting for my final joining letter, which I expect anytime now," he said.
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