INDORE: ABVP leader and LLM student of Indore’s New Law College, Lucky Adiwal, who has filed a police complaint against the then college principal, a professor and the author and publisher of the book ‘Collective Violence and Criminal Justice System’, alleges that the book was being distributed by the college “for free to SC/ST students”. University officials have strongly denied the allegation.
“I too am an SC student and the college was distributing this book for free to all SC/ST category students. Our issue is that this book is banned and still made available for students in the library.
The book isn't our main issue, though, it’s one of our 17 issues,” Adiwal told TOI. An official of the directorate of public instruction had told TOI when the controversy broke that the book isn’t officially banned in Madhya Pradesh.
Every year, books for the course are distributed for free among SC/ST students as per the directives of the directorate of higher education (DHE). Adiwal has claimed in his FIR that the then principal and a professor asked students to refer to the book which he thinks “encourages animosity between religions and promotes enmity between groups”. Adiwal says he found the book in the library recently.
College authorities, however, said that ‘Collective Violence’ is a subject in the LLM curriculum, and books aren’t prescribed in the course, so students can choose any book on those topics.Former principal Dr Inamur Rahman — who resigned on December 3 after three days of protests by ABVP and on the day the FIR was registered against him — rejected Adiwal’s allegations and said that owing to lack of budget, books haven't been distributed this year. “Free book distribution for the ongoing academic session hasn’t taken place. During my tenure, this book wasn’t distributed at any time,” Rahman told TOI.
Librarian of New Government Law College, Naveen Gangrade, seconded this. “In this academic session, we haven’t distributed free books to students.
We hadn’t received the instructions from the government for distribution as the payment for the previous session is due. As soon as the college gets the budget, we will go ahead with the process after seeking required permissions from the department,” Gangrade told TOI.
In the previous academic session, too, the college didn't distribute ‘Collective Violence and Criminal Justice System’ book to SC/ST students for free, he said.
“There is no role of Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya (DAVV) in the free-book distribution at government colleges. The college principal and librarian are authorised to do this as per their budget,” deputy registrar of DAVV's Development, Academic and SC ST Cell, Vinay Kumar Tayade, told TOI.
Bhawarkuan police have asked the college to keep the library closed after Adiwal alleged that the college management was trying to “alter evidence”. “We haven't sealed the library but have instructed the college management to keep it in the exact manner as it was without any alterations. We have also sent a couple of cops to monitor this,” SI Bhawarkuan Anand Rai told TOI.
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