Mumbai: ABVP forces St Xavier's College to withdraw invitation to Dalit activist

St Xavier's College, Mumbai, was reportedly forced by the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) to withdraw an invitation to Dalit activist and singer Sheetal Sathe for a panel discussion called "Invisibility of Caste" as part of the annual college festival Malhar.[caption id="attachment_1664043" align="alignleft" width="380"]

St. Xavier's College, Mumbai was forced to withdraw invitation to a Dalit activist. Reuters[/caption]A report in DNA said that Sathe was one of the members of the Kabir Kala Manch (KKM), which had been under the watch of the Maharashtra police for several years. The report added that Sathe and other KKM members had gone into hiding in May 2011 during an Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) crackdown on artists supporting Naxalite ideology. She had also been arrested in April, 2013."Sathe has been involved in Naxal activities and was on the verge of arrest two years back. How can an academic institution invite such people? This is anti-national activity, which we strongly oppose," said ABVP member Yadunath in the report.One of the organisers of Malhar claimed that Sathe herself had withdrawn herself from the panel.