New Delhi: A complaint has been submitted to Delhi University vice-chancellor Yogesh Singh seeking disciplinary action against political science professor Sangeet Ragi over remarks he allegedly made during a television debate Tuesday.Indian National Teachers’ Congress (INTEC), which has filed the complaint, has accused Ragi of making derogatory remarks against the Dalit community and sought strict action, including his expulsion from the university.The remarks were made during the debate in which a video of Congress functionaries, including Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, and party president Mallikarjun Kharge, was played. The video allegedly showed Vande Mataram being stopped midway to arrange a chair for Kharge. Referring to this during the debate, Ragi said, “This is a mentality of slavery, this is a Dalit mentality.”Following immediate objections, Ragi said he was withdrawing the statement, while maintaining that “Dalit” was not a community-related word, but a political term.A complaint has also been filed at Parliament Street police station seeking registration of an FIR under BNS and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. Aditya Goswami, former media coordinator of All India Congress Committee, alleged that Ragi’s statement equating “Dalit mentality” with “slave mentality” amounted to an “intentional insult and humiliation” of a member of the scheduled caste community and “promoted or attempted to promote disharmony and feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will between different castes/communities on grounds of caste”.Goswami has sought that “an FIR be immediately registered”, the matter be investigated, the full video and related material be “seized/preserved” and appropriate action be taken against Ragi.INTEC has complained to the vice-chancellor that the remark was “deeply offensive and derogatory towards the Dalit community” and alleged that it “perpetuates harmful historical prejudices, promotes social division, and flies in the face of our constitutional values of equality, dignity, and social justice”. The teachers’ body demanded that DU initiate strict disciplinary action against him following applicable rules and due process.TOI reached out to the vice-chancellor, who said he had not seen the complaint and would respond after examining it. No response was received from Ragi till the time of going to press.
