Dalit Student's Protest Highlights PhD Admission Controversy at BHU

Shivam Sonkar, a Dalit student, is protesting for over two weeks outside Banaras Hindu University's Vice Chancellor's residence. He was allegedly denied PhD admission despite securing the second position in the entrance test. The contention stems from the university's allocation of seats and policies on reserved categories.

For the past 14 days, Dalit student Shivam Sonkar has been protesting at Banaras Hindu University (BHU). He claims unjust denial of PhD admission after the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies allegedly mishandled seat allocations.

The university announced six PhD seats, with three reserved for JRF candidates and three via an entrance test. Sonkar secured the second position in the entrance test but found no reserved seats for Scheduled Caste candidates, leading to the allocation of seats to General and OBC candidates.

Despite assurances from Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Sanjay Kumar about reconsideration, Sonkar insists on continuing his protest until granted admission, challenging existing PhD admission regulations.

(With inputs from agencies.)