Hindu College history professor booked for post on Gyanvapi ‘Shivling’ / Teachers, students demand immediate release of associate professor Ratan Lal

By Dilip -

A Delhi University professor has been booked for an allegedly objectionable social media post on the claims of a ‘Shivling’ being found at the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi. Ratan Lal, an associate professor of history at the Hindu College, has been booked under IPC sections 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race) and 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings).

In a statement Wednesday, DCP (North) Sagar Singh Kalsi said, “A complaint was received Tuesday night against Ratan Lal, professor of history at Hindu College, DU, regarding a deliberate and malicious post on Facebook that was intended to outrage reli­gious feelings by insulting a religion/reli­gious beliefs. A case under IPC sections 153-A/295-A has been registered at the Cyber Police Station, north district.”

Speaking to ThePrint, Lal, who belongs to the Dalit community, said, “Critique of religion has been a part of discourse since the time of Gautam Buddha to Ambedkar, from Periyar to Phule. I have not written anything wrong… if you look at the picture (of the Shivling) carefully it looks like points were marked on it and it was broken. Will pandits identify and declare a piece of relic historically important or will historians do that ?” The professor also refused to take down his Facebook post, uploaded Tuesday, and said his remarks were “sarcastic”, and not intended to hurt anyone’s religious sentiments. Regarding the FIR, Lal said, “There has been no official communication from the police yet.” Lal, however, said he had received death threats by users online after his post went viral....

https://theprint.in/india/du-professor-booked-for-post-on-gyanvapi-shivling-seeks-ak-56-licence-from-pm-after-threats/961564/?amp


DU associate professor Ratan Lal gets bail


Teachers, students protest seeking immediate release of associate professor Ratan Lal

Amid heavy police presence, scores of students and teachers of Delhi University protested Saturday at the arts faculty in the North Campus demanding the immediate release of Hindu College associate professor Ratan Lal. He was arrested Friday night for an allegedly objectionable Facebook post referring to the claims of a shivling being discovered in the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi.

Student organisations such as the All India Students’ Association, Campus Front of India, Democratic Students’ Union, Fraternity, Krantikari Yuva Sangathan, and the Students’ Federation of India were present at the protest with banners and placards. Several students and teachers who are not affiliated with any organisations also turned up in solidarity with Lal…

https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/teachers-students-protest-seeking-immediate-release-of-du-associate-professor-ratan-lal-7929120/


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