Delhi varsity event marred as Hindutva forces target historian Prof Irfan Habib
New Delhi: Since coming to power in 2014, the BJP has presided over an environment where dissent has become a big casualty. Voices critical of Hindutva ideology have been targeted, either silenced through imprisonment or intimidated through violence.
According to Kashmir Media Service, a recent incident at Delhi University underscores this trend. Renowned historian Prof Syed Irfan Habib was drenched with water from a bucket while addressing students at the People’s Literature Festival: Samta Utsav held at the university’s Arts Faculty. The event was organized by the Left-affiliated All India Students’ Association (AISA) as an alternative to the university’s official literature festival.
“I had just begun my address and spoken for about 20 minutes when suddenly water from a bucket was thrown from a wall behind me,” Prof Habib said in a media interview. He added “It was disturbing and shocking, but I continued my speech.” Videos of the attack were widely shared on social media soon after.
After the incident, AISA said that members of the RSS-affiliated student’s body, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), were involved in the attack. It said that ABVP members interrupted the event by throwing water and raising slogans when Irfan Habib was speaking. The AISA termed the incident an attack on a platform meant to discuss equality and social justice, and said the ABVP was attempting to silence dissent on university campuses. It said the Samta Utsav was meant to counter the official festival being used as a platform for “regressive propaganda and communal rhetoric”.
The Left-organized event focused on pressing social issues, including caste in society and universities, and featured discussions on anti-caste poetry and songs. Prof Habib, a 1953-born historian of science and public intellectual, highlighted attempts at “historical erasure” and stressed the role of universities in challenging distorted versions of history.
The incident has reignited debates over campus security and the political climate at Delhi University, with students and faculty questioning whether adequate measures are in place to protect speakers and attendees.
