AUSU's first woman chief faces ABVP ire

After Rohith Vemula and JNU, the first woman president of Allahabad University Richa Singh is facing ABVP ire.

Singh, who faces a varsity probe, had launched a massive agitation to protest BJP MP Adityanath’s entry into the campus last year.

She has alleged harassment by the administration and claimed that she has been repeatedly targeted after she opposed the appointment of those accused of harassment.

According to Richa, the OSD of the university has been questioning the validity of her admission ever since she raised certain issues.

“They are creating a background to ensure that my admission is cancelled,” she said.

An inquiry was conducted against the student leader after allegations that she got admission as a research scholar on a seat meant for reserved category.

The probe, however, concluded that despite the fact that the seat was earmarked for reserved category, it was because of the university's fault that it went to Richa.

She said the university administration, with the connivance of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), students wing of RSS is trying to “poison” the atmosphere of the campus on the lines of University of Hyderabad.

“Now I can identify with Rohith Vemula and his institutional murder. But, I am not going to succumb to pressure... ABVP is trying to turn AU into another JNU because those in power are not able to tolerate a woman as student union president and that too who speaks against them. But, if authorities dare take any adverse action against me, they will have to face strong reaction from the students community across the country as all this is politically motivated,” she said.

“Those who lost the elections are now linking me with naxals, screening my day to-day activities and misrepresenting facts in front of the V-C and unfortunately he is entertaining it,” she said, adding, “They are not able to digest the fact that a woman has defeated them.”

The inquiry against Richa was ordered by the vice-chancellor Professor R L Hangloo last month following a complaint by a rival that she was granted admission as a research scholar to a seat earmarked for a candidate from the reserved category.

In January, the university had cancelled permission for a seminar that she had organised on campus after ABVP members protested her decision to invite Siddharth Varadarajan, former editor of The Hindu, as chief guest.