After Rohith and JNU, we are ABVP's next target: Allahabad University student leader

Last year, Richa Singh made history when she was appointed as the president of the Allahabad University's students' union - the first woman candidate since Independence. Since then, the path has been treacherous for her. Allahabad University has a strong presence of ABVP, and with important posts still held by the opposition party, Singh always believed the post of the president was a challenging one.

In November 2015, Yogi Adityanath, BJP's Member of Parliament from Gorakhpur was scheduled to inaugurate a new building at Allahabad University. But, because of his "controversial and communal" background, Singh along with her supporters launched a massive agitation to protest against Adityanath's entry into the university premises. According to Singh, that's where it all started.

"I was attacked the next day. Many men, mostly from ABVP, stormed into the hostels and started calling us names. The proctor was standing there frozen, watching the tamasha while ABVP went on verbally abusing us," Singh recalls.

After the incident, Singh wrote four letters to vice-chancellor RL Hangloo to probe the incident, but no action has been taken so far. But on March 4, Singh was shocked when she heard from news reports that the V-C has set up an internal committee to probe the validity of her admission in 2013-14 for no fault of hers, and that it could lead to her expulsion. "The university administration is continuously mentally harassing me. Since they have got nothing else, they are now questioning how I got admission in this university. My centre of studies is Institute of Inter Disciplinary Studies (IIDS), but they never consulted my dean. Cherry on the top, I haven't been even given a notice and it's flashing in every local newspaper," exclaims Singh.

According to Singh, the probe has been brought in by Rajnish Singh, an affiliate of ABVP union. "Our V-C never set up an internal enquiry on his own proctor. The proctor has been accused of IPC 354 but his position is still retained. The OSG of the university has a case of sexual harassment and Dalit atrocity registered against him, but he is safe. It's all about pushing me on the ground and ceasing my power," Singh adds.

She has also accused the univeristy's V-C of forwarding a letter that claims she is a Maoist. The letter, originally written by another student, questions Singh's timing of entering and leaving the university's premises. The V-C, however, was unavailable for comment.

"I am afraid, after Hyderabad university, it's Allahabad University's turn. I can't even imagine how Rohit Vemula felt when he was thrown out of the university. The atrocities against students are on a rise and an incident like this shows how institutions are turning into authoritarian bodies," she adds.

Singh has already written a letter to MHRD and is awaiting response. Meanwhile, she is ready to counter the enquiry set up against her admission.