Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh’s only central university, Dr Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya in Sagar, is facing protests from students, professors and even civil society members after it announced conferment of D.Litt or Doctor of Literature degree on controversial Hindu seer, Jagadguru Swami Rambhadracharya at its 33rd convocation due soon.
The protesters allege that Rambhadracharya is a polarising figure who has made “derogatory remarks against Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Buddhism and Dalit communities” in several public speeches.
The D.Litt is an honorary degree meant to celebrate individuals who embody universal values of knowledge, service, human rights and inclusive progress.
“Approving an award for a figure with a history of caste-insensitive remarks undermines the academic integrity of one of India’s oldest and most respected universities. It’s also against the ethos of the university as well as its founder Harisingh Gour’s ethos and values,” states a two-page letter sent to the President of India’s office by the protesters. ThePrint has a copy of the letter.
When ThePrint reached out to Vivek Jaiswal, media in-charge at the university, he said the decision to confer the degree on the seer was taken according to the Act and Ordinance of the university.
“The university, following the provisions mentioned in its Act and Ordinance, had sent a proposal to the Honourable Visitor (President Droupadi Murmu) for conferring an honorary degree on Swami Rambhadracharyaji on the recommendation of the Executive Council. This honorary degree is being awarded only after the approval of the Hon’ble Visitor,” he said.
Earlier this month, the university had written to the President’s office, seeking approval to confer the degree on Rambhadracharya. “Protesting now is akin to protesting against the decision of the President,” Jaiswal said.
But the students and professors are gearing up to hit the streets if the university goes ahead with its decision. “We will hit the streets in protest. We have also informed the district authorities about the same,” a university professor told ThePrint.
Who is Swami Rambhadracharya?
Jagadguru Swami Rambhadracharya, 75, a native of Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh, is one of the four Jagadgurus of the Ramanand sect (which worships the avatars of Vishnu) and was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian honour, in 2015.
Despite losing his sight while he was just two months old, he is credited with learning 22 languages, and authoring more than 240 books and 50 papers, including four epic poems. In 1988, he was chosen as the Jagadguru Ramanandacharya in Varanasi.
The protesting students, teachers and members of civil society that includes advocates, in their letter to the President, state: “Shri Rambhadracharya despite his scholarly achievements is a highly polarising figure. He has been recorded making derogatory remarks against Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Buddhism and Dalit communities in several public speeches and videos easily accessible in the public domain.”
“His rhetoric has been described as divisive, casteist and humiliating to large sections of Indian society. Such statements are in direct contradiction with the spirit of fraternity, equality and dignity as enshrined in our Constitution.”
The renowned seer had landed in controversy last year after a video had come to light in which he was purportedly heard terming those who do not worship the Hindu god Ram as “chamar”, according to media reports.
The remarks had drawn sharp criticism, with an application filed in the Allahabad High Court seeking registration of an FIR against the seer for violations of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The plea was later dismissed.
Rambhadracharya had also hit the headlines last year after he criticised RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat for his comments urging to not look for a temple under very mosque.
Responding to Bhagwat, Rambhadracharya had said: “When he did not have power, he was looking for temples everywhere, and after getting power he is advising to not look for temples.”
The protesters, who have formed a forum to oppose the degree being conferred upon Rambhadracharya, state further in their letter that “Dr Harisingh Gour, founder of the university, was a progressive reformer, legal luminary, and a Bodhisattva figure who fought for the rights of the downtrodden and championed the cause of scientific rationalism, gender equality, and social uplift”.
“To honour a figure who espouses values contrary to those of the founder is not only ironical but a direct affront to the university’s foundational ethos.”
The university is yet to announce a date for its convocation. According to the university administration, while the convocation was scheduled to be held at the end of April, it has been deferred following the terror attack in Kashmir last week.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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