Protest ends at BHU as Firoz Khan resigns from SVDV, joins Arts faculty

VARANASI: Students of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) ended their month-long protest on Tuesday following the resignation of Dr Feroz Khan as an assistant professor in faculty of Sanskrit Vidya Dharma Vigyan (SVDV) late on Monday. Khan has joined Sanskrit department of Arts faculty in the university.
Following these developments, the SVDV students, who were protesting against Khan's appointment as an assistant professor in their faculty since November 7, called off their stir on Tuesday afternoon.With the end of their stir, the SVDV administration decided to reschedule the semester exam, which had to be started from Tuesday but was postponed due to the agitation of students.
SVDV official informing students about Firoz Khan's resignation after which protest of students against his appointment in their faculty came to an end.
BHU spokesman Rajesh Kumar Singh confirmed his joining in Sanskrit department of Arts faculty. Talking to TOI, acting dean of SVDV faculty, professor Kaushalendra Pandey disclosed, "The BHU administration had convened a meeting at LD Guest House on campus late on Monday, in which, Khan tendered his resignation and its copy was received by him. In the same meeting, he joined Sanskrit department of the Arts faculty."
Even after resigning from SVDV and joining Arts faculty, Khan avoided coming before media.
Despite becoming aware of the resignation of Khan from SVDV, the protestors continued their sit-in stir in faculty premises on Tuesday. The protesting students - Prashant Chaturvedi and Shashikant Mishra - said that they were demanding this information in writing. "When the acting dean issued a notice in afternoon confirming the resignation of Khan from the SVDV, we decided to wind up the stir and normalise academic atmosphere in the faculty," they said, adding, now they would wait for a revised schedule of semester examination to appear in it.
The SVDV acting dean said that the semester exam of all departments of faculty was scheduled from Tuesday. But, he said, in view of the protest of students, the semester exam was postponed. The revised schedule of such exams will be announced in a day or two, the dean added.
Khan's appointment as an assistant professor at Sahitya department of faculty had sparked protest a day after his joining on November 6. The SVDV students initially staged sit-in stir near VC residence from November 7 to 22. Later, they sought reply of five queries. Being dissatisfied with the answers of BHU administration, the students of SVDV resumed dharna in front of the SVDV faculty on December 2.
Amidst protests, Khan had appeared in interviews for the post of assistant professor at faculty of Ayurveda and Sanskrit department of the faculty of Arts and faculty of Ayurveda on November 29 and December 4 respectively. On Monday BHU administration had declared Khan as selected for the positions of assistant professor in Sanskrit department of the faculty after getting the approval of varsity's executive council, which met in Delhi on December 7.