Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya (DAVV) found itself caught in a political quagmire after it cancelled permission to a talk show by Suryapal Singh, the writer of movie The Kerala Story, on its premises at the eleventh hour on Sunday.
Following the cancellation, activists of the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) staged a demonstration outside the School of Computer Science and IT, an entity of DAVV and the venue of the event.
ABVP and Rashtriya Kala Manch (Malwa chapter) had invited Singh, an alumnus of DAVV, for a talk on The Kerala Story.
'Congress threatens to screen BBC documentary'
The talk was scheduled from 10.30 pm on Sunday. When the Youth Congress (YC) came to know about the event, they lodged their objection with the university administration. YC leader Abhijeet Pandey late on Saturday evening had threatened the university authorities of staging an agitation at the venue if the event was not cancelled.
He had also threatened to screen a BBC documentary (apparently on PM Narendra Modi) on RNT Marg campus of the DAVV.
Senior Congress leaders also spoke to the university authorities over the matter and expressed their anguish over permitting talk shows on the movie on the university campus.
'Is DAVV above Supreme Court?'
With Congress and its youth wing opposing the event, DAVV cancelled permission to it but did not issue any order.
Unaware of this, ABVP activists and others went to attend the talk show on Sunday morning only to find the gates locked.
On enquiry, they came to know that the permission for the event was cancelled at the eleventh hour. To this, they staged a demonstration outside the School of Computer Science and IT.
The senior leaders of ABVP took to social media to criticise the university authorities for withdrawing permission to the event.
Senior ABVP leader Ghanshayam Singh Patel said that it was shocking to see that the university cancelled a talk by the writer of The Kerala Story which was permitted for screening by the Supreme Court and Censor Board.
“No reason was given by the university authorities for cancelling permission for the event,” he said.
Another senior ABVP leader, Sachin Sharma said that several people had reached to attend the talk show but locks of the venue were not opened. “Is DAVV above the SC and Censor Board,” he asked.
VC instructions for big event of Suryapal Singh
DAVV executive council member Vishwas Vyas said that it was disheartening to see that an alumnus of DAVV was not given the honour he deserved.
He condemned the despicable attitude of DAVV administration saying that he would meet vice chancellor Prof Renu Jain and would have a word with her in this regard on Monday.
With anger growing among ABVP leaders, DAVV media coordinator Chandan Gupta took to social media saying, “Suryapal Singh is an alumnus of EMRC (Electronic Media and Research Centre). He has made DAVV proud at national level.”
Citing instructions by the VC, he said that a big event of Suryapal Singh would soon be organised by DAVV.
