‘Panel neutral and unbiased’ VARANASI: The Banaras Hindu University (BHU) administration has debarred 11 students, who led the protests in September 2017 against the sexual molestation of a female colleague on campus, from taking up any course in future following their protest in May this year over the chief proctor’s public statement that their earlier demonstration had been a sponsored event.An inquiry report by the BHU standing committee on July 24 this year served orders on these students while invoking provisions of ordinances in BHU’s calendar and charging them with acts of vandalism, assault, dharna and pradarshan on May 2 this year at the office of chief proctor Royona Singh, the first woman at the varsity to take charge of this office. TOI has accessed the 145-page detailed order.The 11 students barred by BHU include three girls, two of whom have now shifted to Delhi University and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).The students were objecting to Singh’s statement that the September 21-22, 2017 protests were “sponsored” and involved distribution of pizzas and colas to students.The July 24 order, based on “examination of oral and written statements of students, Singh and staff ”, reads, “In the evening of May, 2018, a group of unruly male/female sudents, along with black banners, posters, staged a gherao, dharna and pradarshan in office of chief proctor without any prior intimation for about four hours (sic). They were shouting abusive and anti-university slogans and demanding the chief proctor herself give explanation on her alleged interview with regard to incident of agitation during last week of September 2017 (sic).”The order says that their protest at the main gate “disrupted normal traffic flow and movement of patients in BHU” and that “this comes under severe acts of indiscipline and warrants disciplinary action”.“The committee recommends that since students in question while being interrogated upon did not accept mistake committed on their part of resorting to this without giving sufficient time to university, the brazen errant students in question may be considered to be debarred from studying in BHU for future (sic),” the order says.Shivangi Chaubey, a 21-year-old girl from Bihar’s Buxar, who had successfully cleared the entrance examination for the MA course in linguisitcs at BHU, has now enrolled in DU for the same course. Saumya Pandey, 18, a Varanasi local, quit the BA(Chinese) course to join JNU.The other nine students, who are from neighbouring MP, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, are continuing their master’s programme but would not be able to take up future courses. Before leaving BHU, Chaubey and Pandey wrote in their statements that they were harassed by the BHU authorites.Besides, asking Singh to withdraw her comment, the students have been seeking setting up of gender sensitisation against sexual harassment committees and gender equality by ensuring there is no evening bar on the closing of hostels for women, no ban on non-vegetarian food and a 24 x 7 library.BHU said it would be willing to re-consider its decision on these 11 students if they keep their behaviour in check. “We did not expel these students. The committee was neutral and unbiased. They used abusive language, broke the doors which injured proctorial staff and teachers. The even said the way the V-C has been removed, we will get the chief proctor ousted as well. We have not even issued a bad character certificate to any of them. We will observe their behaviour for the next six months and can review our decision,” Singh said.While an FIR involving charges of attempted murder was registered against these students on a complaint by Singh, the Varanasi police could not find sufficient grounds and submitted a final report after dropping the names of 10 students as the accused from the chargesheet in October 2018.

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