DTF Condemns Cowardly Assault on Professor S. Irfan Habib

13 February 2026 | Democratic Teachers’ Front (DTF)

The DTF expresses its profound outrage and unequivocal condemnation of the attack on distinguished historian Professor S. Irfan Habib, who was subjected to intimidation while participating in the Samta Utsav, or the People’s Literature Festival, at the Arts Faculty, Delhi University, yesterday.

Professor Habib, a speaker at the opening session examining caste in society and higher education, was standing near Gate 4 of the University of Delhi when a bucket filled with water was hurled at him from across the boundary wall. Though the vessel missed him, the water drenched the historian in an act clearly intended to humiliate and intimidate. That such a crude weapon was deployed—one that could easily have concealed stones or other projectiles—reveals the premeditated nature of the aggression.

This was no spontaneous outburst. The festival, organised as an inclusive platform centring discussions on caste equality, the Rohith Act, and the urgent implementation of the UGC Equity Regulations 2026, was met with a planned and violent attempt at sabotage, as many eyewitnesses and student organisers have attested. Despite this, Professor Habib displayed extraordinary composure, resuming his address on the distortion of history without pause. This is a testament to his unwavering commitment to intellectual integrity.

His observation that the past two years have witnessed a drastic transformation in the university’s atmosphere should alarm every defender of academic freedom. When a scholar of his standing faces such hostility simply for articulating views on caste and social justice, it signals the creeping normalisation of intimidation within our campuses.

DTF rejects the characterisation of this incident as isolated mischief. It is not disagreement; it is not debate. It is the violent expression of an intolerant ideology, which is characteristic of the current ruling dispensation and its acolytes in the University of Delhi, that seeks to silence critical thought through fear. We note the institutional silence thus far, with no formal complaint registered by the administration—a passivity that not only emboldens further aggression but also gives rise to questions about the extent of complicity in criminal actions.

The DTF demands that a thorough, independent inquiry be instituted and that immediate security measures for faculty and students be put in place. Moreover, the administration of the University of Delhi must issue an unequivocal public condemnation of this criminal action.

Academic spaces must remain arenas for an intellectually informed and grounded contest of ideas, not the target of cowardly criminality. DTF stands in full solidarity with Professor Habib and all those committed to building universities defined by inclusion, not intimidation.

Rajib Ray, President

Abha Dev Habib, Secretary