A group of students held a solidarity march in support of a Muslim assistant professor whose appointment to the Sanskrit faculty at Banaras Hindu University was met with resistance from some. They also demanded the university ensure his security.
Banaras Hindu University (BHU) students opposing the appointment of a Muslim professor to the faculty of Sanskrit Vidya Dharam Vigyan (SVDV) called off their sit-in protest outside the Vice-Chancellor’s (V-C) office and residence on Friday.
The students, however, said that they would continue to boycott classes and may even resume their agitation if the BHU administration fails to answer their questions in 10 days.
The protesting students have maintained that they are not opposing the appointment of a Muslim professor, but the recruitment of a non-Hindu for teaching a subject associated with the religion. The university administration has backed post-doctoral scholar Firoze Khan, saying his appointment was on merit.
