New Delhi: Dr BR Ambedkar University-Delhi on Wednesday suspended 10 students on an indefinite strike at its Kashmere Gate campus, demanding representation on administrative bodies and reinstatement of fee waivers, among other demands, over alleged indiscipline, a scuffle, and damage to university property.
The university has barred the suspended students from entering campus premises pending a detailed inquiry by a disciplinary committee. They then cut off the electricity to prevent the screening and misbehaved with us. Meanwhile, Vivek Mishra, one of the suspended students and the elected treasurer of the Ambedkar University-Delhi Students’ Council at its Karampura campus, said, “We had planned to screen Anand Patwardhan’s documentary Jai Bhim Comrade at 6 pm near the protest site. Students launched the indefinite strike on September 28. The protesting students put forward five key demands: the complete withdrawal of the July 31 circulars, removal of iron gates, reinstatement of fee waivers, student representation at all levels of university governance, including the board of management and the infrastructure grievance redressal committee, and completion of faculty recruitment. The university issued two circulars on July 31: one requiring students to obtain prior permission to hold demonstrations on campus, and the other making attendance mandatory for PhD scholars.
The university said the decision followed a review of the proctorial board’s preliminary report, CCTV footage and other visual evidence related to the scuffle. “Suspension of…from the university pending inquiry in accordance with clause procedure for resolving general conduct of the code of discipline for students with permission for the assessments and examinations for the current semester only, and debarment from entering the university campuses during the suspension pending inquiry,” the order signed by Professor Satyaketu Sankrit stated. The security guards tried to stop us, but we told them it was just a documentary screening. “The university did not issue us a show-cause notice and directly suspended us,” he added.
