FEDCUTA Press Release, 18 Aug 2018

FEDCUTA condemns lynching of Sanjay Kumar of Mahatma Gandhi Central University, Motihari, Bihar and demands a judicial probe into the incident and a Vistorial inquiry against the Vice Chancellor

The FEDCUTA condemns in strongest terms the horrifying lynching of Professor Sanjay Kumar of the Mahatma Gandhi Central University at Motihari, Bihar by an instigated mob.
While the immediate

excuse of attack on Prof. Sanjay Kumar, who happens to be an alumnus of Delhi's prestigious JNU, appears to be his critical posts on the Facebook about the former PM late Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee, it is clear that the real reason behind the attack is the protests against the Administration on several issues including violation of reservation policy in recruitment of non-teaching staff. The recently formed Mahatma Gandhi Central University Teachers' Association by the teachers to take their struggle forward has evidently angered the VC. The horrifying background to the attack is the crackdown on the fundamental right to dissent and freedom of expression by the administration at the Central University to browbeat the protestors.

From Prof.Sanjay Kumar's complaint to the police it appears that members of the University administration and local media used the critical Facebook posts to provoke the riotous mob to attack him.The Mahatma Gandhi Central University Teachers' Association is seeing this mob attack as an attack on its basic freedom of association and has unequivocally condemned the lynching.
The situation as it has developed seems to be akin to what the eminent political scientist Prof.Paul Brass has called the operation of an institutionalised riot system in India where the mobs are prepared and incited by powers that be to violence, often for communal and power seeking ends.The spate of recent lynchings in India which have been given legitimacy from above also follow a similar pattern.In this process basic fundamental rights given by our constitution are ruthlessly violated.
The FEDCUTA warns the Vice Chancellor and the administration of the Mahatma Gandhi Central University of Motihari against using such attacks on dissenting voices.

The FEDCUTA demands judicual probe into the incidence and action against those involved in this murderous attack. The FEDCUTA further demands Visitorial inquiry into the misconduct of the Vice Chancellor.

         Rajib Ray                                                                                                           Sonajharia Minz

(President FEDCUTA)                                                                                         (Secretary FEDCUTA)

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