New Delhi: With the ongoing student protest now lasting over a month, the stalemate at Delhi’s South Asian University (SAU) is taking an ugly turn with the administration contacting embassies of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nations.
At least one country, Sri Lanka, has confirmed that it received a “correspondence” from the university.
No classes have been held since 13 October as students are on protest demanding higher stipends and adequate representation for social sciences faculty among other things.
The university is sponsored by the eight members — Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka — of the South Asian grouping.
One of the five students who faced action (two expelled, three suspended) from the university on 4 November alleged that the SAU sent a letter to the Bangladesh embassy indicating that he was partaking in activities that were causing unrest in the host nation (India).
“Names of two Bangladeshi students including mine were sent to the embassy, hinting that we were partaking in activities that can be construed as anti-India. The officials have told me that in case, the police get involved and find me in violation of the visa laws, then they will not be able to stop my deportation,” the 29-year-old doctoral student told ThePrint.
He claimed that the embassy officials are apprehensive about his involvement with the protest and fear that his deportation will set a poor precedent which may impact the number of visas given to Bangladeshi students.
The other Bangladeshi student had sat on a hunger strike but ended it on the fifth day due to deteriorating health condition.
The SAU confirmed that it wrote to the High Commissions (of the countries from which the students sitting on a hunger strike hail) informing them of the matter. It, however, did not comment on the use of the phrase ‘anti-India’ activities.
ThePrint reached out to the Bangladesh High Commission via email. This report will be updated once a response is received.
A Bhutanese student, upset with the treatment of students from his country, joined the protest demanding an increase in PhD scholarships. “All the international students are toppers from their countries and came here believing in the spirit of regional cooperation. We are treated with disdain and are accused of trying to make money off the scholarships. How is this fair?” he asked.
He claimed that troubled by the financial crisis and faculty behaviour, two Bhutanese students have left the university. More were looking at options to switch, the student added.
The 29-year-old has decided to visit his embassy Wednesday, saying that Bhutan is strict and does not support indiscipline from its student representatives.
“The definition of protest is ambiguous and seen differently in every nation. The university is trying to build a narrative that this protest is funded by the Left parties. I am a Buddhist. Why will I even concern myself with the local domestic politics?” he asked.
All students want is enough stipend to get by with respect in an expensive city like Delhi, the student said.
Students from SAARC member nations feel that being from smaller countries, their embassies don’t have any “bargaining power with India”.
Another demand of the students is extending the Silver Jubilee Scholarship to those from Sri Lanka. The scholarship is currently offered to Master’s and Doctoral students from Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, the Maldives, and Nepal.
“My family’s income is below $800 annually (Rs 65,087) and after the upheaval in my country, I should be seen as eligible for the scholarship. I was on a hunger strike for 5 days before I fell sick. Officials from the Sri Lankan embassy contacted me enquiring about my health,” a Sri Lankan student said on the condition of anonymity.
Sri Lanka Deputy High Commissioner Niluka Kadurugamuwa told ThePrint that the Commission believes in a student’s right to express distress with the university administration and was in correspondence with the student mentioned above to help her with her medical needs.
“We never asked her to halt her hunger strike, as a student she is well within her rights to express her opinion. It was only after we were informed by the university administration regarding her strike that we started a correspondence to provide her with consular aid, if required,” he said.
Kadurugamuwa added that the Sri Lankan High Commission is contemplating if a meeting with the SAU administration should be held in the near future.
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Financial mismanagement
The governing body meeting of the university has not been held since 2017 due to ‘unavoidable circumstances’ and ‘logistical issues’, according to a SAU statement. The Ministry of External Affairs has the power to set up the meeting.
The delay in the meeting has also left the university without a president, a vice-president and a registrar, since these appointments can only be made by the governing body.
“The chairman is selected from one of the SAARC nations on a rotational basis. The next appointment is to be done from Pakistan,” said a source privy to the matter.
Given the deteriorating India-Pakistan relations, the source said, the possible conduct of a meeting in the near future is bleak.
All the positions are currently occupied by the science department staff on a temporary basis, the protesting students claimed.
Students have also raised concerns over the financial management of funds at the university. They alleged that the current acting president professor Ranjan Kumar Mohanty withdrew Rs 19 lakh as travel expenses. They added that the position of Director and Deputy Director (Finance) was held by a single official, Keshav Dutt.
When asked why its annual financial reports were not released, the SAU said these documents are released only after the recommendation of the Finance Committee and Executive Committee, and thereafter approval by the Governing Board.
It also dismissed allegations of mismanagement, calling them an attempt to “defame the president”.
“The President has withdrawn the transport allowance in terms of the regulations applicable to the post of the President. However, the figure 19 lakh has been wrongly mentioned and inflated to defame the image of the President,” the SAU said in an email to ThePrint.
“The matter of the Director Finance (DF) and Deputy Director Finance (DDF) also is done after following proper procedure and is nothing out of place. The current DF is not holding the post of DDF; instead, he is having the lien on DDF post because DF is a tenure position and it is a normal phenomenon whenever a government employee is appointed on a tenure post,” the SAU said, regrading the appointment of Dutt.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)
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