New Delhi: Historian S. Irfan Habib – seen in a video being attacked with a bucket of water during a programme against casteism held at the Arts faculty of Delhi University on February 12 – has said that falling silent will spell victory for those who perpetrate such attacks.The Left student organisation AISA, which organised the ‘Samta Utsav’, has alleged that the attack on the historian was carried out by activists associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-affiliated student body, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).The incident occurred while Habib was delivering a speech at an event organised under the ‘People’s Literature Festival’. According to the poster shared by AISA, the programme also raised demands to reinstate the Supreme Court’s stay on UGC regulations and to implement a ‘Rohith Act’, named after Rohith Vemula. The programme had aimed to raise voices against casteism in university campuses and highlight issues of social justice, AISA had noted in its poster.The organisation has described the incident as a “coordinated attack on social justice and the voices of marginalised communities.”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.AISA alleged ABVP members involvement in the act. pic.twitter.com/PxHv6mmHkC— Amit Pandey (@yuva_journalist) February 12, 2026In a social media post, AISA named an individual – Haresh Chaudhary – and said that Chaudhary had disrupted the programme by pelting stones and throwing water. The organisation said that Chaudhary, a law student, is associated with ABVP. View this post on Instagram A post shared by AISA Delhi University (@aisa_du)However, ABVP has denied these allegations. The Wire Hindi emailed the Delhi University Proctor seeking the university administration’s response. This will be added to the report once received.‘This is hooliganism’: Irfan HabibS. Irfan Habib told The Wire Hindi that he was not injured, but water was indeed thrown at him.“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.The poster for the Samta Utsav.“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.”‘Falling silent out of fear would be their victory’Habib said the atmosphere on campuses has deteriorated in recent years.“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 [that has been targeted]. We are seen as part of that ideology, so we are targeted,” he said.However, he made it clear that he would continue attending programmes.“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.”The ABVP has called AISA’s allegations baseless and false.Speaking to The Wire Hindi, 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.”ABVP also claimed that Left student organisations are making such allegations because they are unsettled by the growing popularity of ABVP among Delhi University students.“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.”Translated from the Hindi original, which appeared first on The Wire Hindi.