PhD Pakkodewali: Former DU ad-hoc professor alleges caste discrimination; sells ‘pakkoda’ in protest

Former ad-hoc professor at Delhi University, Dr Ritu Singh, was booked by the Delhi police last week for allegedly encroaching on an area outside the university premises with her ‘pakkoda’ stall.

An FIR was registered against her under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 283 (danger or obstruction in a public way or line of navigation).

Fiasco between Dr Singh and DU authorities:

Dr Ritu Singh is a former ad-hoc psychology professor from the Dalit community who had been protesting relentlessly for 192 days outside the Arts Faculty against alleged caste harassment and illegal termination from services. 

The 28-year-old professor who belongs to a Dalit community and is a DU graduate herself, had joined Daulatram College in 2019 but was removed within a year, and her contract was not renewed. After not receiving the joining letter in August 2020, Dr Singh took the matter to the Delhi High Court.

Reason behind selling ‘pakkodas’:

After Dr Singh’s protest site was demolished by the DU authorities, she gave a unique twist to her protest by establishing a “pakkoda” stall in front of gate number 4 of the varsity’s Arts Faculty. 

She also has a peculiar menu list which includes jumla pakoda (a jibe at PM Modi), special recruitment drive pakoda, and SC/ST/OBC baclog pakoda among others.

“I want the teachers and students to see the plight of Dalit academics and the systemic barriers they face even after graduating from the prestigious Delhi university, she had told the Times of India.

Talking to media, she said there have been multiple attempts to silence her protest and so now she has resorted to selling “pakkodas” as a mark of protest. On being booked under the IPC charges, she said she could have given notice in a dignified manner. She alleged that the Delhi police threatened her and asked her for the license for the cart.

Significance of the “pakkoda protest”: 

The unemployed youth and activists in India including the opposition parties have often resorted to selling “pakkodas” as a mark of protest after Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018 remarked that selling “pakkodas” is a form of employment.

In a TV interview, Modi said, “If a person selling pakodas (snacks) earns Rs 200 at the end of the day, will it be considered employment or not?"

Soon after the remark, PM Modi garnered flak from various groups including the unemployed youth and the opposition parties.

In 2018, when PM Modi was addressing a BJP rally in Bengaluru, a group of youth donning graduation caps and robes sold fritters to condemn the prime minister’s remark.

In a similar event in 2019, at BJP’s election rally in Chandigarh, a group of activists dressed in graduation robes turned up to sell what they termed as "Modiji ke pakkode".

In the run-up to the 2014 general elections, the BJP government had promised to generate two crore jobs every year.