Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) president Shakti Singh on Wednesday admitted having installed the busts of freedom fighters VD Savarkar, Subhash Chandra Bose, and Bhagat Singh 'without due permission' outside the Art Faculty on the university's North Campus.
Singh, also Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) leader, said the DUSU had been seeking permission to install busts for a long time but the administration ignored the demand, forcing them to take such a step on Tuesday.
"There is a cellar on campus where Bhagat Singh was kept during the trial. We had demanded that either a statue of Bhagat Singh be erected or the cellar be made public. But the university administration did not respond to us. So, we had no other option but to do what we did," Singh told .
"All these leaders -- Savarkar, Bose, and Bhagat Singh -- had made great contributions in the freedom struggle. Youth should take inspiration from them," he said.
The two-feet long busts in white marble were placed on a 6.5-feet-long red pillar.
However, ABVP's state media-in-charge Ashutosh Singh said the busts should be kept in the DUSU office till the administration gives a nod to install them "legally."
Soon after the busts were installed outside the Art Faculty on Tuesday, the move was criticised by the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) and Left-backed All India Students Association (AISA). They said that Savarkar cannot be kept on the same pedestal as Bose and Singh.
Condemning the move, NSUI's national in-charge Ruchi Gupta in a tweet asked the Delhi University to remove the unauthorised busts. "Putting up his bust along with Bhagat Singh and Subhash Chandra Bose, courageous freedom fighters cannot make Gaddar Savarkar into Veer Savarkar," she added in the tweet.
( With inputs from ANI )