Draupadi play row: CUH dean takes 'moral responsibility', resigns post

CHANDIGARH: Almost a month after a controversy had erupted in the Central University of Haryana (CUH) over a play based on Bengali writer Mahasweta Devi's short story 'Draupadi', which was presented by the department of English and foreign languages, head of the department Sanjiv Kumar has resigned from the post of dean of students welfare (DSW).
Sources confirmed to TOI that Sanjiv, who is an associate professor of the department that had organized the play, had resigned from the post 'owing moral responsibility' for the controversy.Sources added that he had appeared before the university authorities and accepted responsibility for the entire controversy for being head of the department, which had staged the play.
Confirming the development, CUH registrar Ram Dutta told TOI that Sanjiv, who was also head of the department, had relinquished the charge of DSW for 'personal reasons' and his resignation had been accepted by the university authorities.
Over delay on the findings of the committee that was constituted to probe the controversy, registrar explained that on account of serious illness of one of the members of the committee, it has been delayed and may take another 7-10 days for the report to be completed.
Meanwhile, BJP's student wing ABVP and Sainik Samman Sangharsh Samiti, which has been leading the protest against the university authorities after play, resumed their protest on Monday outside the university gate in Mahendergarh. Rao Sanjay Singh, a BSF veteran and Samiti president, said that the play had insulted soldiers as well as the sentiments of their families and they would continue protest till university did not fix the responsibilities and took action.
Haryana unit president of ABVP Pramod Shastri said their protest would continue until the university informed them about the action taken against those behind the play. "We have given a call to the people of the area, which has around 45,000 ex-servicemen, to intensify the agitation," he said.
The play was staged on September 21, which had a scene portraying army men committing rape. It had led to widespread protest by ex-servicemen, some students' organizations and villagers against the CUH for projecting soldiers in a poor light.
Following the protest, the university had sought explanation from Snehsata and Manoj Kumar, both assistant professors of department of English and foreign languages, who were coordinators of the play. Snehsata had raised the issue of patriarchal attitude of state through the epilogue of the play recounting the data about atrocities on tribal people, especially sexual crimes against women by the Indian Army.