Amid the ongoing protests in the prominent university of India, Banaras Hindu University (BHU), against the appointment of Muslim assistant professor Firoze Khan in the literature department of the faculty of Sanskrit Vidya Dharm Vigyan (SVDV), actor Paresh Rawal came out in his support and said, “what language has to do with religion.”

He took to Twitter and said, “Stunned by the protest against professor Feroz Khan !what language has to do with Religion!?!?!? Irony is professor Feroz has done his masters and PhD in Sanskrit !!! For Heavens sake stop this god damn idiocy.”

Stunned by the protest against professor Feroz Khan !what language has to do with Religion!?!?!? Irony is professor Feroz has done his masters and PhD in Sanskrit !!! For Heavens sake stop this god damn idiocy !

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— Paresh Rawal (@SirPareshRawal) November 19, 2019

In yet another tweet he wrote, “By same logic great singer late Shri Mohammad Rafi ji should not have sung any BHAJANS and Naushad Saab should not have composed it !”

By same logic great singer late Shri Mohammad Rafi ji should not have sung any BHAJANS and Naushad Saab should not have composed it !!!!

— Paresh Rawal (@SirPareshRawal) November 19, 2019

While sitting at the Holkar Bhawan near vice-chancellor’s residence on the varsity campus from Thursday on protest, the students of the department have been playing musical instruments,  reciting hymns, and even performed a yagna, saying that they will continue the protest till he is removed.

The students protesting at the university are demanding the cancellation of appointment of a ‘non-Hindu’ in the department.

While the varsity administration has made it clear that “the appointment has been made as per the University Grants Commission (UGC) rules and the BHU Act in a transparent manner based on the eligibility of the candidate”.

BHU spokesman Rajesh Singh said, “The appointment has been made following an interview in the ‘Sahitya’ (literature) department of the faculty of SVDV. The varsity has made the appointment as per the UGC rules and the BHU Act, in which discrimination on the basis of caste and creed has no place. The appointment has been made with full transparency and only on the basis of the eligibility of candidate.”