Indian students up in arms against appointment of Mukesh Ambani's wife Nita as professor
Students demand Banaras Hindu University (BHU) take back decision to appoint Nita Ambani as visiting professor
March 17, 2021
- Media reports claim Banaras Hindu University (BHU) has appointed Nita Ambani a visiting professor.
- Reliance Industries Ltd. say Nita Ambani has not been offered any post by the university.
- Students say women empowerment icons like "Arunima Sinha, Bachendri Pal, Mary Kom or Kiran Bedi" should be appointed instead.
NEW DEHLI: Controversy surrounded the Banaras Hindu University's (BHU) decision to appoint Nita Ambani, wife of billionaire businessman Mukesh Ambani, as a visiting professor at the university's Centre for Women's Studies and Development.
A group of 40 students protested outside the residence of BHU vice-chancellor Rakesh Bhatnagar and also submitted a memorandum opposing the university's move.
One of the protesting students spoke to The Indian Express to say that the university should instead invite women empowerment icons like “Arunima Sinha, Bachendri Pal, Mary Kom or Kiran Bedi” instead of Ambani.
The proposal had been drafted by BHU’s Social Sciences Faculty and was sent to Reliance Foundation, where Nita Ambani is a chairperson and owner-founder.
An Indian newspaper reported that the varsity was mulling the names of Priti Adani, wife of industrialist Gautam Adani, and Usha Mittal, wife of steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, for the other two visiting professor positions at the centre.
According to Indian newspaper Dainik Jagran, Ambani has given her verbal approval for the post.
A spokesperson of Reliance Industries Ltd. spoke to news agency ANI and said Nita Ambani had not received any formal offer from the university.
Kaushal Kishore Mishra, the dean of the social sciences faculty, BHU, said a letter had been sent to the Reliance Foundation asking Nita Ambani to join the Women Study Centre as a visiting professor.
"We did this because the Reliance Foundation has done a lot of work in the field of women empowerment,” said the dean, according to a report.
BHU was founded in 1916 as India’s first private university by Madan Mohan Malaviya and two others. Today it is a central university.
Some people took to Twitter to post memes and issue sarcastic comments on the news of Ambani's alleged appointment as a visiting professor.
