Dr B.R. Ambedkar University, Delhi has suspended 10 students following an incident at its Kashmere Gate campus on October 13, the latest in a series of disciplinary actions since January that have drawn court intervention twice and continued student protests.
The roots of the ongoing developments at Ambedkar University, Delhi can be traced back to January, when an AISA-affiliated MA Global Studies student circulated an email criticising Vice-Chancellor Anu Singh Lather’s Republic Day speech. The university’s disciplinary committee found the student guilty of using “derogatory and disrespectful language” and issued a suspension order on 21 March, barring the student from campus for the 2025 winter semester. AISA called it political targeting and began protesting.
In early March, three more students from SFI were suspended after they issued a press statement linking a first-year student’s suicide attempt to bullying on campus. The university said the statement distorted facts and politicised a sensitive matter. SFI said the suspensions were an attempt to suppress dissent. AUD revoked those three suspensions in April after the Delhi High Court intervened, though students were directed not to participate in further protests related to the incident.
The protests did not stop. In the weeks that followed, the university banned demonstrations in its administrative area. SFI began an indefinite sit-in at the Kashmere Gate campus. During that protest, a student on hunger strike reportedly collapsed due to heat. Students also alleged that a university registrar attempted to drive through protesters, with one student’s neck reportedly coming within inches of the vehicle. The administration denied this, saying students had vandalised official vehicles and blocked university functioning.
On 13 October, another confrontation took place at the Kashmere Gate campus. The university reviewed CCTV footage and a preliminary report from the Proctorial Board and suspended 10 students, including elected student representatives, citing alleged indiscipline, property damage and a scuffle with security personnel. The suspended students have been barred from campus but can appear for assessments this semester. AISA said the suspension letters were served without prior show-cause notices.
The Delhi High Court had previously set aside a separate AUD student suspension in March, observing that peaceful dissent cannot be restricted simply because it conflicts with management’s views. Whether the October suspensions face a similar legal challenge is yet to be seen.
Read Also: Ambedkar University to Open New Campuses in Rohini & Dheerpur
Image Credit: The Indian Express
Abhishek Goverdhan
[email protected]
Comments are closed.