DU teachers seek DUTA general body meeting over assault on Bhim Rao Ambedkar College faculty

Several teachers’ organisations of the University of Delhi (DU) have written to the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) demanding that a General Body Meeting (GBM) be convened immediately after the Autumn vacation to discuss the October 16 assault on teachers of Bhim Rao Ambedkar College (BRAC).

In a joint letter addressed to DUTA president VS Negi, the groups — including Common Teachers’ Front (CTF), Democratic Teachers’ Front (DTF), Democratic Teachers’ Initiative (DTI), INTEC (I), Rashtriya Shiksha Morcha (RSM) and Samajwadi Shikshak Manch (SSM) — have called for collective action to ensure justice for the affected teachers.

According to the statement, Sujit Kumar and other BRAC teachers were allegedly assaulted on October 16 by Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) office bearers, including Joint Secretary Deepika Jha. The incident reportedly occurred inside the Principal’s office around 4:15 pm, in the presence of police personnel.

The teachers’ bodies stated that the attack was an assault on the dignity of teachers and on the teaching-learning environment of the university. They also expressed concerns that the DUSU office bearers accused of the assault continue to act with impunity, with no disciplinary action taken so far.

DU teachers call for strict action

The letter further noted that while DUTA organised a flash protest on October 17, the response was "insufficient and lacked prior communication to teachers".

“Keeping in mind the magnitude of the physical and mental harassment that teachers had to undergo, a General Body meeting on this matter is urgently required. It is one of the primary duties of DUTA to safeguard teachers from violence and harassment,” the official letter said.

The groups urged the DUTA to convene a GBM to discuss further steps, including legal and institutional measures to protect faculty members from violence and harassment.

Several staff associations across Delhi University colleges have already passed resolutions condemning the October 16 incident and demanding disciplinary action. The letter also appealed to students to oppose all forms of violence within educational institutions.