BHU students performing Rudrabhishek as they stage a dharna outside the residence of Vice-Chancellor against the appointment of Professor for Sanskrit, in Varanasi on Wednesday. (ANI Photo)

A group of students on Tuesday continued to agitate against the appointment of a Muslim teacher in the faculty of Sanskrit Vidya Dharma Vijnan (SVDV) of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU).

The group of students, which has been staging a dharna against the appointment of Dr Firoz Khan as assistant professor in the SVDV faculty since November 7, on Tuesday reiterated that their stir would continue unless action was taken in the matter.

When the car of BHU vice-chancellor Prof Bhatnagar passed by the dharna venue, someone threw a water bottle and a stone targeting the car. Both, however, didn’t hit the car. The university PRO confirmed it.

Meanwhile, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has extended its support to the protesting students.

“There is no question of ending the dharna until our demand is accepted by the BHU administration. We only want Dr Firoz to be shifted to some other faculty,” said Shubham Tiwari, a research scholar at the faculty of SVDV who is taking part in the

protest.

Justifying the demand, Adhokshaj Pandey, convener of ABVP’s BHU wing, said, “Their demand is genuine. The students want transfer of Dr Firoz since they want only Hindus as teachers in the faculty of SVDV that imparts education of ‘Sanatan Dharma’. They are not against the appointment. Dr Firoz may teach in any other faculty. Therefore, the varsity administration should accept the demand.”

Meanwhile, dean faculty of SVDV Prof VP Mishra wrote to the agitating students, urging them to end their stir. Mishra made the appeal after holding a meeting with vice chancellor Prof Rakesh Bhatnagar.

The VC reiterated that all rules and regulations had been strictly followed in Dr Firoz’s selection.

In another protest, a group of students under ABVP activists staged a demonstration in the BHU on Monday and Tuesday over the alleged blackening of a portrait of Veer Savarkar installed in a room at the department of political science.