A joint delegation comprising the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) and the All India Mahatma Phule Samata Parishad met with the Vice-Chancellor of Savitribai Phule Pune University on Saturday to demand the immediate reopening of the Mahatma Phule Chair, along with other university-based study centres.
The delegation also demanded the prompt appointment of Chairpersons for the long-vacant posts heading these centres. The students claim that the closure of these centres is an attempt to suppress the thoughts of great thinkers like Mahatma Phule and Annabhau Sathe.
The study centres established in honour of Maharashtra’s social reformers Annabhau Sathe and Mahatma Jyotirao Phule have been closed for the past several months, the NSUI alleged, adding that books and statues in these centres are covered with dust. Rats and snakes have also been spotted in the premises, the NSUI further claimed.
"The administration, by keeping the study centres of great social reformers closed, is attempting to suppress the thoughts of eminent thinkers like Mahatma Phule and Annabhau Sathe. This is not just a matter of neglecting the education system, but a direct attack on the identity of marginalized communities," said Dagdu Sonkamble, a student of the university.
"It is very serious that disrespect is being shown to Mahatma Phule at a university named after Savitribai Phule. I hope the university administration takes this seriously and takes proper action," said Sushmita Harne, a student of SPPU.
“This is not just a demand to reopen a study centre. It is a demand to reclaim the identity, representation, and dignity of marginalized communities. If our demands are not fulfilled by August 15, we are prepared to break open the locked doors of these centres and allow the thoughts of our revered reformers to breathe free once again,” said Siddhant Jambhulkar, a student of NSUI.
“If the Mahatma Phule Chair is not reopened and a qualified Chairperson appointed by August 15, I, along with fellow students, will launch an indefinite hunger strike from August 16,” said Prof. Diwakar Game, Vice President of Samata Parishad.
