Vinayakala Korvi
Two genuine intellectuals, academicians and crusaders for justice and truth, from EFLU to University of Delhi…Stay strong…more power to you Hany and Jenny.
Today my close friend Jenny shared this post on Facebook:
‘Today the Pune police entered our house at 6.30 in the morning. They said that Hany Babu (my husband) who teaches at Delhi University English Department, is involved in the Bhima Koregaon case and for this they could search the house without a search warrant. They searched the house for up to 6 hours, took three books and his lap top, phone, hard disks and pen drives. They just left now.’
I was one of the first persons to see this on Facebook, and straight away these were the words that came to my mind, which I shared on FB too.
“I stand with you!
Hany’s biggest contribution has been to challenge the caste hegemony in admissions and appointments to the university. He is a dedicated teacher who also graduated in law to be more effective in his work.”
In fact, I am highly indebted to Hany. He taught me research methodology and because of him, today I’m excelling as a scholar.
I called Jenny soon and she told me how exactly they had barged in, did not let her call anyone and also how the women constables even followed her and her daughter to the washroom as if they were criminals. I feel so angry and sad hearing this happening to two academics like them. People who have dedicated their entire lives fighting for issues of SC/ST/OBC students and teachers in universities, right from their student days?
This incident should be severely condemned. Nowadays it has become a pattern for governments ruling at the state level or the centre: the police forces are being used for implementing Govt’s hidden agendas and political manifestos.
Where is democracy and freedom of speech? Is this the way India is going towards becoming a superpower? There are many political criminals who they are safeguarded but innocent academicians are suspected?
I also want to add for all those who may want to know that Professor Hany Babu is an active intellectual in the field of Linguistics who has worked on Chomskean Grammar. As the Secretary of Academics For Social Justice (AFSJ – an association of SC, ST and OBC students, teachers and non-teaching staff of Delhi University, he spearheaded campaigns against the non-implementation of OBC reservation in student admission, across Colleges and Departments of DU at the undergraduate, postgraduate and research levels.
Through RTIs, legal interventions and activism he ensured social justice for students in DU. His efforts with regard to the appointment roster of teaching and non-teaching staff across DU challenged the anti-Dalit Bahujan Minority consensus in the academia and ensured employment for deserving candidates in the University. His recent article in EPW ‘Breaking the Chaturvarnya System of Languages’ is a representative example of the kind of committed anti-caste activist-scholar that he is.
Links to some of his articles are given below
1. Breaking the Chaturvarna System of Languages, Home » Journal » Vol. 52, Issue No. 23, 10 Jun, 2017
https://www.epw.in/journal/2017/23/special-articles/breaking-chaturvarna-system-languages.html
2. “Converging struggles and diverging interests: A look at the recent unrest in universities.” September 15, Café Dissensus.
https://cafedissensus.com/2016/09/15/converging-struggles- and-diverging-interests-a-look-at-the-recent-unrest-in-universities/
3. “Two glass system” in a Central University: The unseen ways of caste discrimination
http://50.116.66.156/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5427:two-glass-system-in-a-central-university-the-unseen-ways-of-caste-discrimination&catid=119:feature&Itemid=132
4. Social Justice in Higher Education: An Ever Receding Goal
http://50.116.66.156/~roundta3/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9323:social-justice-in-higher-education-an-ever-receding-goal&catid=123&Itemid=139
5. “Unequal rights: Freedom, equality, life and liberty of citizens and “others”.
https://roundtableindia.co.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8196:unequal-rights-freedom-equality-life-and-liberty-of-citizens-and-others&catid=119:feature&Itemid=132
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Vinayakala Korvi is a PhD scholar in the Department of English, University of Delhi.
