Delhi University collecting info on assistant professors , no reason cited, teachers wary

NEW DELHI: Delhi University has been collecting data from all its departments on whether the assistant professors have voter identity cards issued in Delhi, which assembly constituency they reside in and what is their permanent assembly constituency. Women assistant professors are also being asked if they were pregnant. The university hasn't specified why this data is being collected, leading teachers to object to the exercise.
A teachers' group to which some DU Academic Council and Executive Council members belong has written to vice-chancellor Yogesh Singh, asking him why the data was being collected.A letter sent to the VC says, "We have received information that data of assistant professors at all levels is being collected, but its purpose has not been mentioned at all. It is leading to a wider apprehension about the data being used for election duty. They may be deployed for election duty in the upcoming parliamentary elections."
The signatories of the letter include Executive Council members JL Gupta, Seema Das and Rajpal Singh Pawar and Academic Council members Mamta Chaudhary, Alok Ranjan Pandey, Ramkishore Yadav, SunilKumar and CM Negi.
The establishment branch of the university is collating the information through a Google form, which asks teachers to submit their voter ID number, marital status and, in case of female teachers, if they are currently pregnant. The Aadhaar number must also be filled in, along with details of the teachers' permanent and temporary residential addresses and the assembly constituency they work in.
"Never ever in the past has such type of data like constituency of husband and wife been asked from university teachers," the letter pointed out. "Why is such data being asked of assistant professors only? Moreover, we have come to know that a nodal officer has been appointed for such data collection."
The letter goes on, "DU teachers were never ever involved in election-related duties as it is an autonomous institution and does not come under the purview of the state government. Any attempt to involve university teachers in election duties is not in the interest of students. We also request the office of the university concerned to clarify why this information is being collected. It should not be shared with any authority for the purpose of election duties."
The teachers contend that this collection of information violates the service conditions approved by the University Grants Commission published in the Gazette of India.
DU registrar Vikas Gupta responded, "Delhi government has asked for details of assistant professors and we have given it a few names." He added that the university wasn't itself sure of the purpose for the data collection, but it was likely for election duties.