POLITICS
“My name is Farooque Alam; I am not a criminal”: JNU PhD scholar & NSUI activist
Admitted to hospital unconscious after a 'confrontation' with his hostel warden and ABVP activists 'helping' to evict him, on his discharge Alam allegedly found defamatory notes being circulated
Two days after he was forcefully evicted from his Kaveri hostel room in JNU by the AVBP activist, PhD scholar and Farooque Alam accused university administration of "unjust treatment".
Issuing a statement yesterday, Alam — who is a National Students' Union of India (NSUI) activist — sought support from the student community in his fight against the "rumours and hatemongering aimed at sowing seeds of division in our community".
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Alam was thrashed by activists of the rival AVBP, the RSS’s student wing, allegedly at the behest of Kaveri hostel warden Gopal Ram on September 6. Giving a blow-by-blow account of his ordeal, Alam said:
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In my absence, Gopal Ram, the acting senior warden, accompanied by several security guards and hostel residents affiliated with the (Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad) forcibly entered my room, broke the door lock and proceeded to remove and discard all of my personal belongings out of my room.Farooque Alam, JNU PhD scholar & NSUI activist
“While this was ongoing, my hostel mates telephoned to inform me about this incident and I instantly arrived at the hostel. While I was trying to convince the authorities of my situation, I was subjected to mistreatment and manhandled by members of ABVP and the hostel's office In-charge," he added.
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Two of the ABVP members pushed me down aggressively, leading to a loss of consciousness.Farooque Alam, JNU PhD scholar & NSUI activist
The JNU administration had asked Alam to vacate his room in the hostel, following an inquiry into alleged ‘misconduct’, of which he was found guilty.
Calling the allegations "false", Alam in his statement said:
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During the 2019 anti-fee hike movement, someone close to then dean of students filed a complaint against me at the Proctor's Office. Since 2019, I have denied these allegations and my case is currently ongoing at the (Delhi) High Court, with the next hearing scheduled for 21 September 2023.
According to Alam, he had approached both the senior warden of Kaveri hostel and the Proctor's Office, requesting an extension of time to present the court order formally, but his request was not heeded.
Alam said he was suspended from the university over false allegations. Expressing his hope that “the truth will come to light, and justice will prevail in this distressing and unjust situation,” Alam — who has completed his graduation in Russian studies from JNU — said he will fight the "suspension and unjust treatment".
A native of Katihar, Bihar, Alam has been active in student politics ever since he joined the university. He contested the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) elections in 2017 for the post of president.
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Demanding a stay on the eviction process until the high court rules on the matter, the NSUI's JNU unit had also demanded "severe punishment for ABVP members involved in manhandling other students present at the site to intervene".
The full statement that Alam issued yesterday can be read on his X handle below:
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