Registrar's office calls strike illegal, DUTA pays no heed

Members of Delhi University Teachers’ Association have decided to ignore a notice sent from the registrar’s office which stated that the teachers are on an ‘illegal’ strike and are using electricity illegally at the strike venue.

DUTA members are on a relay hunger strike for over a week and have put up a tent near the Viceregal Lodge, office of the vice chancellor.

“The notice said that the strike, putting up tents, using electricity is all illegal. If whatever we do or say is termed as illegal, then let the administration do whatever it wants,” said S D Siddique, a DUTA member.

No response

“They want to cut the electricity connection, let them do it. Such accusations are made to malign teachers.

The notice said that DU did not give permission for the strike. However, we did not seek any permission, rather informed them about it,” said Siddique, adding that the teachers’ body feels that it is not worth responding to the notice.

The members are also questioning the intention of sending the notice after over a week of the strike.

Healthy disagreement

“The administration is stooping to this level of petty actions when there could be a healthy disagreement,” said Siddique.

“The DUTA office phone lines are dead for the last few days, the water connection in one of the toilets is cut. During meetings held in the night time, they cut our electricity supply for a few hours,” he said.

On Thursday, a barefoot march was organised as a part of the strike by DUTA and was attended by over 250 teachers and students. 

“We have decided that the strike will continue even during university’s gazetted holidays — Diwali, Dusshera, etc. Letters have been dispatched to college staff associations to invite them,” said Abha Dev Habib, a DUTA member.

“On October 26, we have called DU Students’ Union (DUSU) and non teaching staff association and teachers’ unions from other universities to show solidarity,” she said.