Richa Singh, after winning elections pic courtesy- Bhaskar

Richa Singh, after winning elections pic courtesy- Bhaskar

My name is Richa Singh and I am the recently elected President, Allahabad University Student Union (AUSU). I would like to draw your attention towards the repeated harassment which I am facing at the hands of University of Allahabad administration, since I became the president. I am incessantly working for making campus safe and secure for women, and to fight against prevailing gender insensitivity in the campus. In this regard I have written several letters to HRD Minister and to other public offices.

Shockingly, as vendetta, VC and university administration is making every attempt to harass and threaten me. They are using all their power as administrator to repeatedly harass and intimidate me. They are doing so by sending unfounded show cause notice and by constituting baseless inquiry committee against me. Ironically, they never do so when crime against woman in the campus is reported.

Recently, newly appointed Official on Special Duty (OSD) is trying to question the validity of admission, after almost two years of my admission in PhD. He is doing it to settle scores with, after I raised my voice against appointing people on administrative posts, accused of harassment of woman and dalit atrocity. OSD is doing it, after I demanded inquiry on appointment of a person, accused of crime against dalit and woman on important administrative post like OSD. Moreover, VC, hand in glove with his OSD is repeatedly threatening me to expel, if I don’t stop raising voice against the appointment of the OSD. VC is doing so with the first democratically elected woman President of Allahabad University Student Union.

In the past, I have been served show cause by the university administration, when I reported crime involving physical attack and outraging the modesty of women inside the campus to the police in which proctor was complicit. After my complain FIR was registered against the perpetrator of the crime and also against the proctor. The show cause notice in this regard was issued on 22nd November 2015.

Dear Sir, such an attitude of VC is outrageous because it is an effort to intimidate and harass the first elected woman President in the history of Allahabad University Student Union. Need not to mention, it reflects the patriarchal attitude of the University administration and of VC, who are not ready to accept a woman as student representative.

Dear Sir, till date I have not been associated to any political party or political ideology, and have been sincerely working apolitically with a missionary zeal in the best interest of all the university students in general and the poor, needy and women students in particular. Since we have been opposed to the Right wing, communal politics in the campus, we opposed Yogi Adityanath’s programme in the university premises and since then we have been facing the flak of the university administration. We are being targeted as if we have been criminals despite our significant contribution in the society and academic excellence. Our voice is being suppressed and we are being hounded like anything just because we are not in conformity to their political beliefs. Sir, all the recent developments targeted against me have caused an immense pain and turmoil in personal and academic life. The mental torture is excruciatingly painful and life threatening.

Thus, I ask for your support to fight against VC’s attempt to expel me on unfounded ground and against prevailing patriarchy in University of Allahabad. I also request you to immediately raise my grievance in and outside the parliament.

Sincerely,

 

Richa Singh
President
Allahabad University Students Union

09415580935