A meeting of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was held in the campus of Karnataka Central University, near Kalaburagi, on July 18, 2024.
| Photo Credit: ARUN KULKARNI
As per the information provided by sources in the university, the meeting was held at the university guest house between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on July 18, and attended by around 100 students and faculty members of the university.
Registrar R.R. Biradar, Liaison Officer Basavaraj M. Somanamaradi, faculty members Basavaraj Donur, Venkataramana Dodi and Rohinaksha Shirlalu are said to be among those who attended the meeting. It is learnt that a few RSS functionaries from outside the university also attended the meeting.
In a video clip, which later went viral, CUK faculty members and students were seen singing Namaste Sada Vatsale, an anthem routinely sung in RSS shakhas.
Video retrieved
A student, who recorded a video of the meeting, said, “RSS activists grabbed the mobile phone and deleted the video. However, it was recovered later by using a special data retrieving tool, and posted on social media.”
A person who participated in the meeting said, “The RSS will complete 100 years in September this year. The meeting was organised to discuss how to celebrate the event in a grand manner. The RSS members, who participated in the meeting, called upon the participants to make CUK an RSS base and spread its ideology in south India. They stressed on the need to strengthen the RSS network and its branches in south India.”
P. Nandakumar, a research scholar in the university, said, “This incident is condemnable. It is a university. The authorities must allow only academic activities. The Vice-Chancellor and Registrar don’t allow us to hold meetings and discuss progressive ideologies. But, they themselves organise and participate in RSS meetings.”
V-C justifies RSS meeting in CUK campus
When contacted, Vice-Chancellor Battu Satyanarayana justified his decision to allow the meeting by stating that RSS is not a banned outfit.
A file photo of Battu Satyanarayana, Vice-Chancellor of Central University of Karnataka-Kalaburagi.
| Photo Credit:
ARUN KULKARNI
“There are different students and faculty members in CUK with different ideological backgrounds. We cannot allow some and deny others the opportunity to organise programmes. We allowed the SC-ST Employees’ Association to hold a meeting. We allowed Bihar students to celebrate Bihari Diwas. We allowed this meeting on similar lines. There were no outsiders at the meeting. Only CUK faculty members and students attended the meeting. RSS is not a banned outfit. My focus is on academic activities, and maintaining a high standard of teaching and research in the university. I don’t get distracted by these things,” Mr. Satyanarayana told The Hindu.
