It's been more than 60 days and the Delhi University is yet to find out how much of a "student" its Students' Union President Ankiv Baisoya is.
Baisoya, an ABVP student leader who is pursuing Masters in Buddhist Studies in the Delhi University, has been accused of faking his Bachelors degree certificate, a charge that can disqualify him from the position of the DUSU president.
Baisoya Denies Fake Degree Claims
Baisoya has said that he got his BA degree from Tamil Nadu’s Thiruvalluvar University after completing the three-year course in 2016. When asked about his subjects, the DUSU president answered that he had studied “several types of subjects” while completing his BA.
The ABVP leader’s claim was disputed by the Congress-backed National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) on 18 September, days after Baisoya won the DU student body polls.
NSUI has claimed that it had sent Baisoya’s degree, submitted at DU, to the Thiruvalluvar University for verification.
In response, the Tamil Nadu university rejected Baisoya’s claims of having graduated from the college. V Peruvalluthi, registrar in-charge of the Thiruvalluvar University, told The Hindu:
“This letter has been sent from our Controller’s office. It has been signed by our Controller. The certificate is without any doubt fake.”
According to the Lyngdoh Committee guidelines for student polls, a re-election can be held in the first 2 months after polling only if a candidate is found to be ineligible. In Baisoya’s case, the 60 day deadline ended on 12 November, and the Delhi University has done little to clear the mess.
Here are three questions for the Delhi University administration:
Why did DU Turn a Blind-Eye?
First, why did DU Vice Chancellor Yogesh Tyagi not intervene even though he has emergency powers that allow him to act? The DUSU constitution grants this brahmastra to the VC. It reads:
“Notwithstanding anything contained in the Constitution, the Patron in any emergency may take any action as he deems fit and report the same to the Executive Council of the University.”
Instead of acting, the VC chose to be a mere spectator. Till now, there has not been a single statement from the VC’s office on the Baisoya fake degree row.
Why is There No Permanent Election Panel for DU?
Why does a university with 90 colleges and institutes not have a permanent Election Commission to ensure cases like these are handled on priority? The varsity normally dissolves its Election Commission immediately after the results are announced.
If a permanent Election Commission is constituted, it can be empowered to probe and act on such disputes swiftly, transparently and decisively.
Why Did Dept of Buddhist Studies Move at a Snail’s Pace?
Why did the Department of Buddhist Studies, where Baisoya is currently enrolled, take two months to get clarity from the Thiruvalluvar University? Why didn’t the Department Head KTS Sarao act swiftly to resolve the issue?
When The Quint spoke to Sarao, he said, “We have sent a letter, they have not responded yet. Do we now have to send a person to get a reply from TU?”
Not only does this mess reflect poorly on the image of the Delhi University, soon to be 100 years old, it also makes a mockery of the 20,467 students who had elected Baisoya in the 2018 elections. These votes stand for trust, and are the medium that allowed Baisoya’s elevation to a post that has previously been held by eminent politicians like Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj and Ajay Maken.
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