A Hindu student at Azim Premji University (Bangalore) was suspended after a group of Islamo-Leftists launched a targeted attack against him. According to an open letter written by Rishi Tiwari, some students harassed him for being a Hindu and follower of Hindutva. In a series of incidents, the victim, Rishi Tiwari countered the propaganda of the Islamists and Left-wing students, after which they grouped against him and demanded for his suspension.
Rishi Tiwari, who hails from Uttar Pradesh’s Banda district, took admission in Azim Premji University to pursue MA Development course in 2020. Since then, he has faced discrimination for being a Hindu. According to him, the university professors and other Left-leaning faculty members targeted Rishi for being an alumnus of the Banaras Hindu University, which is considered a ‘right-wing’ institution! Rishi Tiwari raised his voice against the discrimination and wrote a complaint letter to the Director of the institute.
In the letter, Rishi Tiwari has stated that he was humiliated by his Muslim classmates because he did not compromise on his ideology and religion. Once a minor debate between him and the Muslim student Sadman was magnified as a ‘Hindu vs Muslim’ issue in the campus.
In a telephonic conversation with the Organiser, Rishi Tiwari narrated how the Islamists and left-leaning students often made fun of his family background and his financial situation.
‘Suspended after a dispute’
According to Rishi, on May 1, 2022, around 8:45 pm, 8-10 students of Islamist and leftist ideologies surrounded him. They used derogatory words for him and his family and asked him to apologise for his remarks during the causal debate, which he refused to obey. The next day, i.e., May 2, around 6 pm, some professors and students protested against him and demanded his suspension from the university.
During the protest, the mob of Muslim students made false allegations against Rishi and claimed that he threw food at the face of a Muslim student who had kept Roza. After the targeted protests, Sadman and his friends visited the office of the Director of the School of Development to lodge a formal complaint. At the office, he got the that since May 2, when the targeted protest was organised, Tiwari had been indefinitely suspended from all classes and hostels.
Regarding the protest in the college and the College official’s behaviour against him, Tiwari said, “The way a group of students in the university has created an environment of hate against me was really shocking. I am feeling extremely insecure here. Not a single officer listened to me nor tried to know my side despite several requests on my part.”
“My last semester is about to end, and I have also got a placement offer but after this dispute, both my degree and job are at risk. My family is financially weak. The responsibility of the whole family is on me,” added Rishi.
‘Targeted for asking questions’
During the Conversation, Rishi said that last year a programme was organised at the university. A French political science professor Christophe Jaffrelotte (who often speaks against India) was invited as the chief guest. The programme soon turned into an event to “defame Hinduism”. During the event, Rishi and some of his friends questioned prof. Jaffrelotte, on his speech after which the programme’s organisers complained about Rishi and his friends to the university later the management constituted a special committee to look into the matter.
Since that event, Tiwari and some of his friends were targeted for defending Hindutva. According to Rishi, since the event took place, his friends were labelled as Sanghis and Bhakts. Tiwari said, during the conversation, “I am proud of my identity and being a Hindu. That’s why I don’t consider it a crime. Having ideological differences does not mean that I will have to lose my degree and job. The university is not making any effort to deliver justice to me.”
Rishi was admitted to the university on a 100 per cent scholarship. After getting suspended, he has been left without home or proper food in the city. “I shared the whole incident with my parents even though they are in tension but still can not help me, ” said Rishi.
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