Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal, recently-sacked University Grants Commission member Yogendra Yadav and several women’s groups joined the Delhi University Teachers’ Association, the students’ unions as well as the karamcharis’ union in their protest outside the police headquarters on Thursday. They were demanding registration of a first information report against B.R. Ambedkar College Principal G.K. Arora in the wake of the death of a former university lab assistant.
“A small delegation met Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi. He could not answer why only one FIR has been lodged in the case till date — against the lab assistant for attempt to suicide! No FIR has been lodged against the Principal despite her dying declaration against him nor have the records been sealed. The Police Commissioner maintained that he will deal with the case ‘on its merit’,” said DUTA president Nandita Narain.
“Even today we hear that Mr. Arora has put up a notice warning the college staff not to participate in protest programmes.... DUTA, Delhi University Students’ Union [DUSU] and Delhi University and College Karamchari Union [DUCKU] shall continue to fight for justice. A joint meeting will be organised shortly to chalk out the future course of action. DUCKU dharna will continue in the College from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, followed by a joint protest outside the venue [not known as yet] of the meeting of the Governing Body, also scheduled for Friday,” she added.
The former laboratory assistant had set herself on fire earlier this month after alleging sexual harassment by Mr. Arora.
The 35-year-old woman had doused herself with kerosene and set herself on fire at gate number 6 of the Delhi Secretariat. She sustained 90 per cent burns and was taken to the LNJP Hospital where she died on Monday morning.
The police had recovered a suicide note from the spot, in which she had said that she was taking the extreme step to protest alleged physical and mental harassment by the Principal and another college staffer.
