The Crossbill Team
An incident at Delhi University’s Arts Faculty on Wednesday (February 11) disrupted a literature festival event when historian S. Irfan Habib was splashed with water while addressing students.
The episode, captured on video and widely circulated online, has triggered a sharp political exchange between Left student groups and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).
Habib had been invited to speak at a programme organised by the Left-affiliated All India Students’ Association (AISA) as part of the ‘People’s Literature Festival’.
The session, held near Gate 4 of the Arts Faculty, focused on caste and debates around the rewriting of history. Around 20 minutes into his address, a bucket filled with water was hurled from behind a wall. Though the bucket did not strike him, the water drenched him briefly before he resumed speaking.
“I was talking about history and how it is being rewritten, when the bucket full of water came out of nowhere,” Habib told Hindustan Times.
He later told The Indian Express that while the bucket contained water, it could have contained “anything, even stones”. Describing the incident as “disturbing”, he said that universities are spaces for diverse voices which should be respected.
“If someone does not agree with what I have to say, they can have a dialogue or conversation regarding it,” Hindustan Times quoted him as saying.
“This is certainly not the way.”
The programme, titled ‘Samta Utsav’ by its organisers, sought to foreground questions of caste discrimination and social justice in higher education. Posters circulated by AISA also mentioned demands related to University Grants Commission regulations and the implementation of a ‘Rohith Act’, named after Rohith Vemula.
The student organisation alleged that members linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-affiliated ABVP disrupted the event by attacking the stage and raising threatening slogans.
In a social media post, AISA named a law student, Haresh Chaudhary, accusing him of pelting stones and throwing water during the disruption, and described the episode as a “coordinated attack on social justice and the voices of marginalised communities.”
The organisation called it a “deliberate, organised attack on a platform dedicated to equality, social justice and the voices of marginalised”.
ABVP rejected the charges, calling them “baseless and false”.
Speaking to The Wire, ABVP Delhi state secretary Sarthak Sharma said, “AISA’s allegations are entirely unfounded. In the video released by AISA, Haresh is only seen sitting; he is neither seen throwing water nor engaging in any such activity. First they recorded a video from behind, and then they themselves ran away.”
The group further alleged that Left student outfits were circulating “misleading and distorted narratives” because they were unsettled by ABVP’s growing presence on campus.
“ABVP has always promoted dialogue and debate on campuses. When the views of fake historians like Irfan Habib are being increasingly questioned, this is a sponsored move by Left organisations to stay relevant in the media. The character of the Left has always been to spread falsehoods.”
Habib, speaking to The Wire, said he was not physically harmed in the incident.
“I was not hurt, but I got drenched. A bucket was thrown, which fell some distance away. A dustbin was also thrown; it landed somewhere else,” he said.
Calling the university campus an open platform for the exchange of ideas, Habib said disagreement should be addressed through debate, not violence.
“A university campus represents diverse voices from across the world. If you want everyone to speak only your language and subscribe to a single ideology, that is not good for anyone – neither for the Left nor the Right. If you want to respond, then speak, write, counter it. But this is not the way… This is hooliganism.”
He added that he had attended the programme as a guest.
“I neither study nor teach there. So how can such behaviour be justified with me or anyone else? A campus is not meant for this.”
Reflecting on the broader climate in universities, Habib said, “In the past few years, campus conditions have worsened significantly. Open spaces are no longer as safe for people like us as they once were. I don’t think I was personally targeted; rather, it is my voice against a certain ideology. We are seen as part of that ideology, so we are targeted.”
He emphasised that such incidents would not deter him from participating in public discussions.
“Even after the incident, I completed my speech. Those who carried out the attack want people like us to be intimidated into silence. If we stop attending programmes, that would be their victory. Our voice must be heard — though perhaps with some caution.”
University officials told The Indian Express that no formal complaint had been received at the time of reporting, but the matter would be examined.
The episode, captured on video and widely circulated online, has triggered a sharp political exchange between Left student groups and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).
Habib had been invited to speak at a programme organised by the Left-affiliated All India Students’ Association (AISA) as part of the ‘People’s Literature Festival’.
The session, held near Gate 4 of the Arts Faculty, focused on caste and debates around the rewriting of history. Around 20 minutes into his address, a bucket filled with water was hurled from behind a wall. Though the bucket did not strike him, the water drenched him briefly before he resumed speaking.
“I was talking about history and how it is being rewritten, when the bucket full of water came out of nowhere,” Habib told Hindustan Times.
He later told The Indian Express that while the bucket contained water, it could have contained “anything, even stones”. Describing the incident as “disturbing”, he said that universities are spaces for diverse voices which should be respected.
“If someone does not agree with what I have to say, they can have a dialogue or conversation regarding it,” Hindustan Times quoted him as saying.
“This is certainly not the way.”
The programme, titled ‘Samta Utsav’ by its organisers, sought to foreground questions of caste discrimination and social justice in higher education. Posters circulated by AISA also mentioned demands related to University Grants Commission regulations and the implementation of a ‘Rohith Act’, named after Rohith Vemula.
The student organisation alleged that members linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-affiliated ABVP disrupted the event by attacking the stage and raising threatening slogans.
In a social media post, AISA named a law student, Haresh Chaudhary, accusing him of pelting stones and throwing water during the disruption, and described the episode as a “coordinated attack on social justice and the voices of marginalised communities.”
The organisation called it a “deliberate, organised attack on a platform dedicated to equality, social justice and the voices of marginalised”.
During Samta Diwas at Delhi University’s Arts Faculty, unidentified people throws water and a dustbin at historian Prof. S. Irfan Habib while he was speaking.
— Amit Pandey (@yuva_journalist) February 12, 2026
AISA alleged ABVP members involvement in the act. pic.twitter.com/PxHv6mmHkC
ABVP rejected the charges, calling them “baseless and false”.
Speaking to The Wire, ABVP Delhi state secretary Sarthak Sharma said, “AISA’s allegations are entirely unfounded. In the video released by AISA, Haresh is only seen sitting; he is neither seen throwing water nor engaging in any such activity. First they recorded a video from behind, and then they themselves ran away.”
The group further alleged that Left student outfits were circulating “misleading and distorted narratives” because they were unsettled by ABVP’s growing presence on campus.
“ABVP has always promoted dialogue and debate on campuses. When the views of fake historians like Irfan Habib are being increasingly questioned, this is a sponsored move by Left organisations to stay relevant in the media. The character of the Left has always been to spread falsehoods.”
Habib, speaking to The Wire, said he was not physically harmed in the incident.
“I was not hurt, but I got drenched. A bucket was thrown, which fell some distance away. A dustbin was also thrown; it landed somewhere else,” he said.
Calling the university campus an open platform for the exchange of ideas, Habib said disagreement should be addressed through debate, not violence.
“A university campus represents diverse voices from across the world. If you want everyone to speak only your language and subscribe to a single ideology, that is not good for anyone – neither for the Left nor the Right. If you want to respond, then speak, write, counter it. But this is not the way… This is hooliganism.”
He added that he had attended the programme as a guest.
“I neither study nor teach there. So how can such behaviour be justified with me or anyone else? A campus is not meant for this.”
Reflecting on the broader climate in universities, Habib said, “In the past few years, campus conditions have worsened significantly. Open spaces are no longer as safe for people like us as they once were. I don’t think I was personally targeted; rather, it is my voice against a certain ideology. We are seen as part of that ideology, so we are targeted.”
He emphasised that such incidents would not deter him from participating in public discussions.
“Even after the incident, I completed my speech. Those who carried out the attack want people like us to be intimidated into silence. If we stop attending programmes, that would be their victory. Our voice must be heard — though perhaps with some caution.”
University officials told The Indian Express that no formal complaint had been received at the time of reporting, but the matter would be examined.
Comments (0)
Leave a Comment