New Delhi: A show-cause notice issued to a faculty member at Delhi University’s Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, warning of loss of pay for alleged unauthorised absence, has escalated into a larger controversy after the teacher accused the college administration of caste-based discrimination and selective targeting. The college issued the notice on Thursday, stating that his absence from Nov 25 till he rejoins duty will be treated as dies non — a no-work, no-pay gap — if he fails to submit a satisfactory explanation within three days. The notice cited his alleged absence from mandatory official meetings, including staff council huddles, without prior intimation or approved leave.
In his written response to principal Arun Kumar Attree, the teacher denied wilful absence on his part and alleged that the action against him was discriminatory in nature. He sought attendance records of all faculty members at staff council and staff association meetings over the past three years, along with details of disciplinary actions taken, if at all, against those who failed to attend. He claimed no such punitive action had previously been taken against teachers hailing from the general category for similar absences.The faculty member added that the notice against him amounted to caste-based harassment as he belongs to the Scheduled Caste community. In his letter, he said that if the information sought revealed selective enforcement of rules, he would approach National Commission for Scheduled Castes to lodge a formal complaint.Attree rejected the allegations of discrimination, saying the notice was issued solely on service grounds. “It pertains to the faculty’s continued and deliberate absence from duty without sanctioned leave, despite repeated directions to attend the college,” he said. Faculty responsibilities include attending official meetings and participating in administrative work, and that absence without sanctioned leave is liable to be treated as dies non under University of Delhi rules, Attree added.This controversy comes amid another dispute at the college over an undertaking related to teaching workload. Several teachers alleged that the college had asked faculty members to sign an undertaking committing to teaching 18 to 20 hours per week, which exceeds the UGC-prescribed workload of 14 to 16 hours. The issue was raised during a staff council meeting held on Dec 17, following which the undertaking was withdrawn for faculties of the morning college. However, the teachers alleged that it continues to remain in force in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Evening College, whose faculty members were asked to sign the undertaking on Dec 15. The teachers demanded that the undertaking be repealed entirely, citing it violates UGC norms.Denying these allegations as well, Attree said no teacher was compelled to sign any undertaking mandating additional workload. He claimed that the faculty members had voluntarily agreed to take up extra lectures as part of an academic initiative to introduce more student-centric courses, and that there was no written administrative directive enforcing additional teaching hours.
