‘Professors polluting minds’—DU V-C alleges ‘urban Naxalism’ in academia. Faculty, students say, ‘new low’

V-C Yogesh Singh has drawn flak for speech referring to ‘urban Naxals’ operating in university spaces, accusing student movements like Pinjra Tod of being driven by ‘ingratitude’.

Delhi University Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh speaks at an event titled ‘Bharat Manthan 2025: Naxal Mukt Bharat — Ending Red Terror Under Modi’s Leadership’ in Vigyan Bhawan last month | Screengrab

New Delhi: A speech by Delhi University (DU) Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh, released on his official YouTube channel, has drawn condemnation from students, faculty members and academic circles, after he made references to “urban Naxals” operating within university spaces, accused professors of “polluting minds” and described student movements like Pinjra Tod as driven by “ingratitude”.

The 24-minute speech video is from Singh’s address at an event titled ‘Bharat Manthan 2025: Naxal Mukt Bharat — Ending Red Terror Under Modi’s Leadership’, organised by the Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation in partnership with the Association of Indian Universities at Vigyan Bhawan on 28 September.

A section of Delhi University faculty members and students described the address as “outrageous” and “unfortunate”, with some students calling for a protest at the DU Arts Faculty Monday.

In the 24-minute speech, V-C Singh warns that Naxalism today operates not from forests, but from universities and cities.

Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts to eradicate Naxalism by 2026, Singh raised a “deeper concern”—what he described as the unchecked rise of “urban Naxals” within academia.

“They hide behind intellectual masks. They can be professors, doctors, employees who can be spotted speaking for the poor, but keeping them in poverty,” he said.

Singh argued that students entering universities with “dreams and innocence” are being ideologically misled. “They don’t teach—they indoctrinate,” he said.

Referring to the 2016 Jawaharlal Nehru University sedition row, Singh recalled slogans like ‘Bharat tere tukde honge, Inshallah Inshallah’ and questioned whether the education system had failed if professors become the source of such thinking.

Singh recommended the film Buddha in a Traffic Jam by Vivek Agnihotri, which he said shows how professors manipulate students emotionally to serve ideological agendas. He claimed this “soft, academic language” conceals a more dangerous mission to undermine national progress.

Naveen Gaur, associate professor of physics at Dyal Singh College, termed the remarks “a new low” from someone occupying the university’s highest office.

“It’s a very regressive attitude and could be an attempt to divert attention from the serious academic issues DU is currently facing. These comments might also be a message to the community not to raise issues that are inconvenient to the administration,” he told ThePrint.

ThePrint has reached the V-C’s office via mail for a comment and a response is awaited.

‘When did anti-nationalism become part of curriculum?’

In his address, Singh raised alarms over what he called the “indoctrination” of classrooms.

“When did teaching Hindi become anti-national? When did English classes become spaces for indoctrination? When did social science professors start training students against the country?” he asked.

He said these shifts were not accidental, but the result of “carefully built narratives” that subvert education.

He cautioned against being deceived by the “soft words and innocent faces” of those pushing these ideas, calling them a threat to the nation’s future.

Citing the now-banned Popular Front of India and its student wing, the Campus Front of India—both allegedly active during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests—Singh criticised faculty members who supported the groups.

“When did anti-nationalism become part of the curriculum? This is a failure of vigilance,” he said.

Referring to the 2018 Bhima Koregaon case, Singh named DU professor Hany Babu and academics Rona Wilson and Anand Teltumbde—some of whom have been arrested for alleged Maoist links. “And, these are not isolated cases,” he said.

Referring to his tenure as Vice Chancellor of Delhi Technological University, Singh recounted an encounter with some female students from the women-led collective Pinjra Tod, who were protesting against hostel curfews.

He said the students accused not only the university but the society at large and even their own families of being “conservative” and patriarchal.

“I asked them calmly, ‘isn’t this for your own safety?’ But their tone changed,” he said. “One of them told me, ‘our parents are also as conservative as you. This fight is against them and you too’. I was stunned.”

Calling the movement an example of growing “ingratitude” among students, Singh questioned what kind of thinking was being fostered in universities today. He criticised what he saw as a tendency to rebel “for rebellion’s sake”, arguing that such attitudes don’t exist in foreign universities.

“The university runs on government money. Every citizen contributes to it, but the students show no gratitude,” he added.

He also mentioned the names of Pinjra Tod founders and former DU students Devangana Kalita and Natasha Narwal who were arrested by the Delhi Police in 2020 after they took part in a sit-in against the CAA.

‘Outrageous’ 

Rajesh Jha, professor at DU’s Rajdhani College, said the targeting on the basis of ideology and perspective was undemocratic and an attempt to curb freedom of expression.

“It is an attempt to shrink democratic spaces in academic culture, which is very dangerous. Branding and labelling professors and students within the university system is undesirable,” he told ThePrint.

Abha Dev Habib, associate professor at Miranda House, termed the V-C’s remarks as “outrageous”, especially those targeting female students demanding equal rights.

“It’s unfortunate that he made these comments in his capacity as the V-C about students and teachers of his own university. Branding movements like feminist protests and ‘Pinjra Tod’ as urban Naxalism is outrageous,” she told ThePrint.

Anjali, a DU student and member of the Left-affiliated All India Students’ Association (AISA), said the remarks pose a threat to anyone who questions authority.

“If tomorrow we raise concerns over a fee hike, we’ll be labelled urban Naxals. If we talk about our rights, we’ll become urban Naxals. We strongly condemn these remarks, especially those targeting historic movements like Pinjra Tod,” she said in a video message released on social media.

Pinjra Tod is a women-led student collective formed to campaign against discriminatory hostel curfews and gender-based restrictions in universities.

(This is an updated version of the report)

(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)