#FakeDegreeRow: NSUI seeks fresh DUSU polls as ABVP forces Ankiv Baisoya to resign

NSUI and AISA claim ABVP is trying to ‘save face’ before the high court order comes on November 20.

WrittenBy:Ismat Ara
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In an unprecedented move, the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) president Ankiv Baisoya has been asked to step down from his post amid his fake degree row. The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has decided to put his candidature in the party on hold until he is cleared of all charges which is seen by many as a tactic to save face as it comes just five days before the completion of the time given by the Delhi High Court to Delhi University for the verification of Baisoya’s graduation degree.

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Baisoya’s candidature came under threat within a few days of his being elected president, when the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) floated pictures of what they claimed was a fraudulent degree and a letter from the university he claimed to have studied at declaring that it is indeed a fake degree. Baisoya maintains that he went to Thiruvalluvar University in Tamil Nadu for his graduation.

Earlier, ABVP had not taken any responsibility and had left it entirely to the Delhi University authorities to check whether or not the allegations were true. But today, they said, “We condemn the delay done by Delhi University on the whole process as it led to a lot of false information … If found guilty, Ankiv must face all the legal actions which are expected in this case.”

The fake BA degree has multiple consequences. First, his post as president will not hold any further. Second, his MA degree from the Department of Buddhist Studies will also become null and void in the absence of a genuine Bachelor’s degree. Baisoya will also be held legally accountable for fraud. In a report previously done by Newslaundry supported by documentary evidence, Ankiv Baisoya’s admission simultaneously at two universities had been exposed, rendering them both illegal.

According to ABVP, raising questions on the authenticity of Ankiv Baisoya’s degree is “propaganda” against its members by NSUI and other parties because of the power they have in DUSU. In the DUSU elections held in September 2018, ABVP had won three posts out of four. On the entire issue, ABVP state secretary Bharat Khatana said, “ABVP is an organisation which is committed to the cause of students. This entire incident has not just been tarnishing DUSU’s image, but also raising questions on students’ mandate.” Talking about Baisoya’s suspension, he said, “We request Delhi University administration to complete the verification process as soon as possible and present its results in public domain.”

NSUI has been protesting Ankiv Baisoya’s position as president for the past two months and had also filed a case against him, the hearing for which is pending in the Delhi High Court. On his suspension, a sceptical NSUI president Akshay Lakra said, “This is clearly a hasty move to save whatever little face ABVP can because he would have been suspended anyway when the High Court order came.” The order is due on November 20, five days from now. Lakra also accused ABVP of trying to save Baisoya for as long as it was possible for them as they had not even set up an enquiry committee of their own in two months.  

Demanding fresh elections, NSUI member Ruchi Gupta said, “The NSUI has always maintained that ABVP is not an organisation of students but of thugs and cheats, this being just one instance in their long history of fraud, violence and bigotry.”.

The All India Students Association (AISA) along with NSUI had also been opposing Baisoya’s candidature. Regarding the suspicious timing of the suspension, its secretary Madhurima Kundu said, “Why has this suspension come so late? This clearly proves that ABVP has been shielding a fraud for so long.” According to them, the suspension had tactically been planned so late, precisely a few days after the completion of 60 days of elections, ensuring that re-elections aren’t possible.

Filing cases, holding meetings and staging protests—NSUI and AISA had come hand in hand to protest against the delay in the verification of Baisoya’s degrees by the Delhi University administration. Even after the suspension, they are still sceptical of the current DUSU vice-resident Shakti Singh assuming the post of president in Baisoya’s absence, as he has been reported to have been previously involved in violent clashes in Zakir Hussain College, Delhi University, on the last day of campaigning for the 2018 DUSU elections. In this way, according to AISA and NSUI, ABVP has ensured they still retain the post of president in the union even if Baisoya is proven a fraud.

With the two month period of a possible re-election having expired on November 13, and the Delhi High Court’s pending order on the case due November 20, has ABVP really just succumbed to the pressure and fear of this impending case?

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