The ramifications of the building collapse in South Delhi’s Satya Niketan that killed five students, will be a common thread running through rival campaigns for the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections scheduled for September 18, representatives of students’ organisations said on Friday.
The ABVP, which is aligned with the Bharatiya Janata Party that rules Delhi, said it would extend a campaign it had launched after the building collapse on September 6 to the DUSU polls . Our key manifesto points include the rollback of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, improved campus infrastructure, and safer campuses for women. The organisations will demand steps to address the varsity’s chronic shortage of accommodation for students, as well as concerns over the safety of students and affordability of hostel rooms , these representatives said on a day they announced their candidates for the DUSU elections.
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), and the left alliance of All India Students’ Association (AISA) and Students’ Federation of India (SFI) will contest four DUSU posts in the election. “The Satya Niketan incident has also brought the urgent need for safe PGs and student accommodation into focus. Through the ‘Aakhir Kab Tak?’ campaign and ‘No more Satya Niketan.in’ website, we are continuing to raise this issue. NSUI will continue to fight for justice and ensure that the voices of affected students and families are not ignored. “This year’s DUSU elections are taking place against an unusual backdrop, marked by a series of major student-led movements and developments. These include the Cockroach Janta Party movement, which led to the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, as well as the Satya Niketan tragedy, which claimed the lives of seven students.
Our campaign will remain focused on genuine student concerns and finding practical solutions to them,” ABVP Delhi secretary Sarthak Sharma said. Rival NSUI, aligned with the opposition Congress, said their manifesto will “present a comprehensive vision for Delhi University – from affordable accommodation and better infrastructure to student safety, and academic opportunities. In a statement, NSUI’s national president Vinod Jhakar said, “The Satya Niketan tragedy has once again raised serious questions about student safety and institutional accountability. NSUI national media incharge, Ravi Pandey, said his party will put pressure on the government and university to ensure compensation to the families of the victims of Satya Niketan, and adequate hostels for students. However, we are placing greater emphasis on ensuring accessible hostel accommodation for all students, conducting structural safety audits in student hubs such as Kamla Nagar and Malkaganj, and introducing a rent-control law for these areas,” said DU AISA secretary Anjali.
