After the tragic death of three students in Old Rajendra Nagar, students have taken to the streets in protest. Amidst these large protests, students are seeking support from prominent teachers. Unfortunately, for three days, these teacher-celebrities were absent from the protest site. Instead of engaging with the students, they chose to appear on major media platforms, where they did not extend their support but rather offered clarifications for their silence.
When a reporter asked Awadh Ojha why he was silent for three days, he mentioned that a family member was ill, which prevented him from attending the protest. When further questioned about why he still hadn’t gone to the protest site, he responded by questioning why students hadn’t come to his office, which is only 50 meters away from the protest site. He expressed concerns about the protest being a “mob” and referenced past incidents where individuals were harmed in similar situations, implying he didn’t want to make the same mistake.
Ojha’s remarks about the protesters being a “mob” and lacking identity are concerning. The people he refers to are UPSC aspirants, many of whom have studied with him either online or offline. To date, other teachers who visited the protest site were not attacked. In an interview with ABP News, when students questioned Mr. Ojha about his absence, he responded inappropriately, even mocking a student from the 2018-19 batch for not being selected yet, despite the known crisis of unemployment.
As for Vikas Divyakirti, regarded as a mentor, especially for Hindi medium UPSC students, he also chose to speak through ANI rather than attending the protests. When asked about his silence, he claimed to have been emotionally disturbed by the deaths and said he was observing the situation. He deflected questions about why his institute conducted classes in basements by pointing to unclear regulations and shifting the blame onto the government. He suggested that people were using his name for publicity because of his social media presence. However, Mr. Divyakirti’s attempt to shift the blame misses the point; students needed tangible support, not defensive explanations.
Both of these teachers, who have portrayed themselves as educators and motivators, appear more concerned with protecting their business interests than supporting their students. This incident serves as a message to UPSC aspirants: do not idolize any individual, as these “heroes” remained silent when you were protesting for your safety.
– This Report is prepared by Team Jansamwaad by listening concerns of various UPSC aspirants.
