Teachers and students of the Delhi University on Friday took out a silent protest march against the non-appointment of the head of Hindi Department.

Wearing black bands, they demanded that Prof Sheoraj Singh Bechain, the senior- most faculty, be appointed as the HoD.

The protesters said that due to absence of an HoD, not only are researchers facing issues but even the date for MPhil and PhD admissions has not yet been announced, despite a notification being issued.

They demanded the appointment of Bechain as HoD in “the interest of social justice”.

The post fell vacant after the tenure of former head of the department ended on September 12.

Professor Bechain is one of the handful Dalit professors in the Delhi University and a renowned name in anti-caste and Dalit literature. He has been awarded by Hindi Academy of both Madhya pradesh and Delhi governments. In the last 70 years, no single Dalit faculty member has been appointed as head of the department, the teachers said.