The DCAC portal was reportedly compromised through an SEO poisoning attack with malicious links still visible on search engines and no official statement issued by the college.
The official website of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce (DCAC) affiliated with Delhi University, was allegedly targeted in a cyberattack on 3 May 2026. The attack reportedly involved “SEO poisoning”, leading users accessing the site via search engines to encounter misleading metadata and redirections linked to an Indonesian gambling platform “MAHJONG333”. At the time of reporting, the effects of the attack remained visible, with compromised search results still appearing online.
While the primary website link had briefly appeared to be restored for direct access, the portal was allegedly compromised again on 6 May 2026. During the second instance, users reported that the website had become inaccessible once more, while Google search results displayed gambling-related metadata and titles associated with another betting platform, “JUDOLBET88”.
Screenshot of the DCAC webpage results on 6th May
Students reported that the website had earlier displayed a 404 error when attempting to access the ERP portal to check internal marks, which is speculated to be connected to the broader compromise. Users also stated that browsers, including Chrome, flagged the website as unsafe and warned against visiting the page.
Later, students were provided with an alternate official link to access services such as attendance records and timetables. The alternate portal was functioning normally at the time of reporting. According to accounts, the link was shared only after students approached the administration for clarification, suggesting that the college had not initially issued an immediate public advisory or clarification.
The continued visibility of compromised search results has raised concerns regarding user safety, as individuals relying on search engines may still encounter misleading or potentially harmful links despite the main portal becoming inaccessible again.
A student of the college, expressing concern regarding the incident, stated,
This is a very serious concern. It’s worrying that a college website could be compromised like this, and the administration should take strict action to strengthen security and prevent such incidents in the future.”
Parallel instances of alleged website compromise have previously been reported in other Delhi University colleges, including Ramjas College, where a website named “TOTO Slot”, another Indonesian gambling platform had allegedly taken over the institution’s homepage, along with reported incidents involving Keshav Mahavidyalaya and Deen Dayal Upadhyay College.
The situation continues to develop with residual effects of the alleged cyberattack still visible online as of 6 May 2026.
After waiting for over five months, the students of the Journalism Department at Delhi College of Arts and Commerce finally received their much-awaited freshers’ welcome, Satrarambh, an event that students fondly described as unforgettable.
The Delhi College of Arts and Commerce hosted its freshers’ welcome for the Department of Journalism for the 2025–26 session after a delay of over five months. The event finally took place on February 10, 2026. The initial reasons for the postponement were not clearly communicated. However, following repeated delays, students were informed that logistical challenges were responsible for pushing the event forward.
DU Beat reached out to students from the Journalism Department to reflect on the celebration. One of the students, Rajarshi Ghosh, said, “The freshers’ programme was an emotional roller-coaster—from prolonged disappointment due to repeated postponements to overwhelming joy. Once it finally began, students were completely captivated, soaking in performances filled with music, laughter, ramp walks, shayaris, and fun games. It felt like a refreshing break from routine and a meaningful space to connect with peers, forming bonds that will be cherished throughout college life.”
The responsibility of organising the event rested with the second-year students. The theme for the occasion was “cosplay”, with first-year students showcasing a range of remarkably intricate costumes. Packed with a variety of activities, the event offered a memorable experience for the freshers. Juhi Bansal, a 2nd-year student, said that “Journalism Freshers’ 2026 was a long-awaited event, finally held after nearly five months of delays and internal challenges. It came together through the persistent efforts of second-year students, who managed everything from rehearsals and promotions to logistics and backstage coordination. Being part of the backstage team—handling music and the chaos behind the scenes—made the experience especially memorable.”
The teacher-in-charge for the current tenure, Dr Neha Jingala, welcomed the new batch with a heartfelt note, highlighting the core ideals of the journalistic profession and expressing hope that the students would grow into ethical and responsible journalists. She said, “I felt immensely proud to welcome the freshers into the Department of Journalism, Delhi College of Arts and Commerce. Watching them take their first steps into a profession built on truth, responsibility, and courage was truly special. I am hopeful that they will learn to question critically, report ethically, and use their voices meaningfully in the service of society.”
The title of Ms. Freshers was awarded to Akshita Bohra, while Mr. Freshers was bagged by Yash Pawar. The titles of Mr. Well-Dressed and Ms. Well-Dressed were won by Purab Sehrawat and Afra Un Nisa, respectively. The event concluded, with the dance floor alive with energy during an open DJ session.
Image Credits – Department of Journalism, Delhi College of Arts and Commerce
Timetable delays at DCAC have left students unsure about classes, turning the start of the new semester into yet another waiting period.
After a disrupted examination season at the University of Delhi, students at the Delhi College of Arts and Commerce hoped for a smoother semester. Instead, the term has begun with confusion, as the official timetable is yet to be uploaded, leaving students unsure of their class schedules.
Students said that timetables were not entirely missing. In several DCAC departments, schedules were prepared by the Teachers-in-Charge and shared informally with students who contacted their professors directly. In the Journalism department, for instance, the faculty circulated the timetable internally and on time.
A member of the Students’ Council, DCAC, said that the delay was largely administrative, with classes clashing in some departments, especially Commerce, slowing down finalisation. Despite informal updates, no official communication has been issued by the college authorities confirming the timeline for the release.
Currently, the impact on classes has been limited, as many faculty members have not yet begun regular lectures. A student from Sri Venkateswara College, facing a similar situation, said, “Our professors are understanding since exams have just ended, and many students are still in their hometowns.”
However, students noted that the lack of an official timetable could be a serious issue. “If regular classes were running, it would be difficult”, said a Venky student. “I travel nearly two hours, and without a timetable, going to college would be a waste of the day.”
For many, this delay has dulled their expectations of a smooth academic restart.
The daily journey to Delhi College of Arts & Commerce (DCAC) is becoming harder, riskier, and more frustrating for students, as key roads around the college remain broken and unsafe. Despite these conditions being a long-standing problem, no steps have been taken by the relevant authorities to address them.
One of the latest disruptions is the digging of the lane leading to Mini Market, the only nearby eatery frequented by students. The path has been broken for the construction of a mall, leaving the area littered with debris and obstructing movement to the market which is a vital stop for students looking for affordable food options close to campus.
The road problems, however, extend far beyond Mini Market. The two main routes students take to college and back are in a poor state. The Metro route, popular because of its relatively short distance, is inconvenient to take as students walking or commuting along it face uneven surfaces that make it difficult to navigate, especially during the monsoon when potholes get filled with water. On top of this, the stretch is known for repeated incidents of catcalling and harassment, making it particularly unsafe for women students. Tinkle Singh, a second year student says:
We always have to walk in groups to the metro and taking an auto everyday is not financially viable. It’s not just the potholes, it’s also the stares and comments that make it unsafe.”
The only road between DCAC and ARD Complex, a key residential area where many students live, has also been in disrepair. Potholes, dust, and an uneven road surface have become part of the daily commute, affecting both pedestrians and those travelling by auto. Anjali, a third year student of DCAC and a residential of ARD says:
The street near the roundabout sees pathetic puddles and it is almost impossible to commute without an auto when it rains.”
Additionally the road has seen no significant repair work in almost 2 years, and with no proper footpaths or lighting, it poses safety risks at all hours. The problems are compounded by the lack of traffic regulation. Speeding vehicles are a common sight, and even the potholes acting as the speed breakers do little to slow them down.
Despite repeated inconveniences, there has been no sign of improvement from the civic authorities responsible for road maintenance. No repair work has been initiated, and no safety measures such as CCTV cameras or patrolling have been introduced on these paths. The only official action so far has come from the college itself, which issued a notice saying:
“Students who walk from Metro to College and College to Metro are hereby advised to travel in groups as a park, construction site and other isolated areas fall in the route.”
For students, this lack of response is not just an inconvenience – it is an everyday challenge that impacts their ability to attend classes safely and on time.
Many students studying Journalism Honours and Psychology Honours under CBCS guidelines received information about the Skill Enhancement Course’s external and internal assessments’ final marks distribution from their college’s faculty members close to the date of their final examination. With the dates of receiving this information varying in different colleges, students from Journalism Honours in Kamala Nehru College (KNC) learnt about the same from their teachers hours before their examination. Interestingly, the confusion of the Psychology Honours’ batch of Daulat Ram College (DRC) was clarified only upon receiving the question paper.
The discrepancy was found out in various colleges upon receiving the admit card. Students of Journalism Honours in KNC and Lady Shri Ram College (LSR) found a 50-50 marks distribution for external and practical assessment for SEC in their admit cards. While KNC students had been studying the course keeping the 50-50 distribution in mind, LSR students were uncertain as they had been following the 75-25 marks distribution, with 25 being allotted for internal assessment. Students from other colleges also underwent similar confusion. “Our admit cards said that the SEC paper that was documentary production would be of 50 marks. But the paper actually was for 75 marks.”, said Aditya, a Journalism Honours student from DCAC.
The situation varied across different colleges and different departments. In certain colleges, the final distribution came to the students’ knowledge quite late, while in certain colleges like Indraprastha College for Women (IPCW), there had been no discrepancy about the same neither in the admit cards, nor with the faculty.
The entire situation around the distribution of marks created confusion and hustle among students. “We were pretty confused since we didn’t know how the marks would be divided and how we are supposed to answer had it been for 50 marks.”, said Utkarsha, a Psychology Honours student from Daulat Ram College, where no clarification from the faculty had been received regarding the SEC Emotional Intelligence paper.
DU Beat reached out to faculty members, but received no comments from their end. There is still uncertainty whether the discrepancy had been for the Journalism Honours and Psychology Honours courses only.
Such action by the college administration as well as the faculty members makes us question whether the students’ best interests are really at heart. After all the formalities and unnecessary steps the students are forced to go through to receive their admit cards, such a massive error with regards to the marks distribution is a careless mistake by the authorities. Students who prepared accordingly, having faith in the college administration and the teachers, were shocked on the day of the examination. With all the buzz around exams and the pressure on students, why was this matter handled so inadequately by the authorities?
Komercio 2016, the two day combined annual commerce festival of four societies of DCAC’s Commerce Association- Club For Leadership, Innovation and Finance, Comania, the Commerce Society, Mercado, the Marketing Society, and Rokda, the Finance and Investment Cell, was held on 17th-18th March 2016. The festival witnessed substantial participation from the students of various colleges across the Delhi University. The first day began with a series of events and competitions like the inaugural session by Mr. Madan Lal, MLA AAP, followed by Navin Gullia a world record holder in adventure sports, Stock-o-holic – Mock Stock in association with Bombay Stock Exchange, and the first of its kind, the Food Triathlon.
The second day began with the most awaited event, EDManiacs, and was followed by 50 shades of Bollywood, the bollywood treasure hunt, and Prom Night. EDManiacs, in association with CLIF, was the first EDM centred competition ever held in Delhi University and provided a perfect platform for true EDM lovers to showcase their skills and dedication to this genre.
The first round of the event was a simple pen-paper round where the students, in teams of two, were given 15 minutes to answer 30 generalized questions regarding DJs and everything surrounding the beat. The shortlisted teams then proceeded to the second round, i.e, Human Shazam whereby sets of 10 songs each were put forth and the contestants were required to identify the correct name of the track. The final round was where the contenders had to go through a series of questions about album covers, logos of various artists, record labels and lastly the HOTS round, Bragging Rights. Anant Kasana and Akshay Dotiyal, from Amity University bagged the first prize. The whole idea of setting up an event like this was brought forward by Sidhantha Jain, an EDM blogger who believes “No matter who you are what you do or wherever you are right now, your passion will take you somewhere nice.”
Street Dance, for all those who do not know, is a very unique dance form that originated in North America and Australia a few decades ago. There is no strict dance style but it comprises mainly of jazz, hip-hop and break dance. Much like a flash mob, a group of dancers set up their portable music systems on the street or a ground and start dancing to a crowd of onlookers.
Until recently, this dance form was relatively unknown in the University Circuit, with very few colleges actually having a street dance society. However, in recent times, especially in the last couple of fests, street dance is gearing to change that.
With a confident future, street dance societies are yet to get the kind of acceptance as that of the conventional western dance societies in Delhi University. Every fest season sees a large number of dance competitions, most dance competitions comprise of Western and Folk Dance categories.
The past fest season saw only a few fests like Crossroads, by Shri Ram College of Commerce(SRCC), hosting a Street Dance Competition. Though colleges like Hindu College did have a street dance competition, but they were held during departmental fests. Some other Delhi University colleges, which held this competition, were Sri Venkateswara College and Maharaja Agrasen College.
The Street dance society of College of Vocational Studies, CVStreets performs at Crossroads 2014
Member of DCAC street dance society responds to the challenge.
Even among the colleges that have street dance societies, the dance form is waitingt to gain popularity, with Western Dance hogging the limelight. Dennis Anthony, the President of CVStreets says, “SRCC was the first time we took part in a DU competition and we stood first. The opportunities in DU may be lacking, but every year we plan to get bigger. In the past five years, our society has grown immensely. We won at Nokia India as well, the Delhi zone winners. We came fourth at the main event. Next we plan to take on Hiphop International and I hope we’re able to crack a dance reality show as well!”
The second day of Ambrosia 2014, the annual cultural fest of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce concluded with a series of cultural events and finally the performance of ‘Rap Da Badshah’-Bohemia live on stage.
The day kicked off with a multitude of people turning up for the Scavenger Hunt competition where the crowd searched for various odd items to complete the list in order to win. A team from DCAC which included Manan Chaudhary, Ennam Pathak, Rishabh Jain, Ravinshu Kumar Jain and Mitul Nanda won the Scavenger Hunt with the maximum items collected on the campus. This was followed by ‘Swarachit Kavita’ a self composed poetry competition where Rachita from P.G.D.A.V College won the first prize followed by Saksham of Dyal Singh College. After that there was a ‘Bad Singing’ competition which was won by Aditya Mehra of Maharaja Agrasen College.
The college also witnessed some powerful dance performances in the competitions of Western Dance and Street Dance events. Western Dance was won by ‘The Immortals’ of Satyawati College and Street Dance by ‘Zorks’ of Trinity College. The Battle of Street Dancers was won by a group called ‘Breaker 4’.
After the competitions, DJ Hitesh and rapper Dahek opened the stage for Bohemia’s performance. They interacted with the crowd and cracked jokes engaging the audience. Dahek performed his songs like ‘Aao milo’,‘Sorry Shaktiman’ and the Bollywood number ‘Mera Mann’.
Bohemia finally arrived at the stage around 6 pm amidst a large crowd that had been waiting for his performance since noon. He performed all his popular numbers like ‘Kali Denali’, ‘Sahara’, and ‘Future’. He also introduced Daler Mehndi’s son, Gurdeep Mehndi on stage and talked about their upcoming collaboration.
The Advertising association of Delhi College of Arts & Commerce (DCAC) held its annual advertising festival ‘Parivartan’ on Tuesday, April 1st, 2014. The one day festival began with a panel discussion on the topic – ‘Communicating brand values to the Facebook Generation‘ followed by an array of events like Ad-Mad competition, Minute to win it & Scavenger Hunt, all idealized on the theme of festival ‘advertising’.
The panel discussion highlighted the role of two way social media and its rapid advancement into the advertising sector. The distinguished panel of speakers consisted of Mr. Sandeep Bannerjee (VP,Hammer Communication, Ex GM, McCanne Healthcare), Ms. Shweta Baxi Tyagi (VP, Digiqom) and social media expert Mr. Anshuman Gandhi.
Beginning with Mr. Bannerjee’s pointing out of the rather diverse variety of products that has bombarded the consumer with infinite choices today, the discussion unfolded with social media’s advantages as well as misuse in case of manipulations and overstatements. On being questioned upon, how social media could wrongly impact the brand image of product if a single customer states his dissatisfaction on a public discussion forum, Mr. Anshuman called such a scenario as an ‘opportunity’. “Someone who is annoyed with our product/service isn’t a liability, but an opportunity. He wishes to widen his outlook, is seeking attention and is ready for change. The organization should satisfy him, treat him wonderfully, make him the brand ambassador”, Mr. Anshuman added.
On the same lines, Ms. Shweta cited real life instances like the American Express & Jet Airways to explain as to how negative response from a customer could be successfully churned into a positive opportunity.
On being questioned upon the role of social media in establishing political brand names, the panelists took the example of the Kejriwal wave that swayed all people and simultaneously set a benchmark as to the best use of online media. “The live updates by political big-shots on Facebook and Twitter keep the public informed and impressed. Numerous social media sites like Social Samosa carry out daily percentages of people supporting different parties/candidates.” said Ms. Shveta Tyagi.
Countering the attacks like online marketing being one sided, or over hyped or out of time, Mr. Sandeep Bannerjee said, “So long as we entertain the audiences, not merely engage them, social media would continue to be an eminent source of delivering brand values.”
Think Out of the Box : the Ad -Mad Competition.
The Solo Dance Competition.
A team of two girls showcasing creativity at the Poster Making Competition.
Apart from the Panel Discussion, there were events like Scavenger hunt, Ad-Mad, Minute to win it, kite flying competition, Poster making, solo & group dance competitions conducted in the festival. The vigor and brain of the festival, Ma’am Neeru Kapoor expressed her happiness and contentment saying, “All the competitions attracted significant participation and the panel discussion engaged the students very well. We’ve got appreciation from everyone alike, the goal of organizing Parivartan for us, stands fulfilled.”
Spektrum, the two-day long commerce & management festival of Delhi College of Arts & Commerce was organized on the 24th and 25th of March, 2014. The festival, organised by the Commerce Association of DCAC was an amalgam of guest lectures, competitive events and the presence of Pulkit Samrat & Bilal Amrohi, the male leads of the upcoming Bollywood movie ‘O Teri’.
Guest Lecture Sessions
As the tagline of Spektrum’14 was, ‘Amaze. Inspire. Achieve.’, the festival opened with inspirational guest lecture by Mr. Maheshwar Peri, Founder, Outlook on the topic ‘Right Place, Right Time’. This was followed by another lecture by Mr. Anubhav Khiwani, Founder, Denetim and alumni of DCAC from the class of 2005. Apart from sharing his college memories and experience, the address had an inspirational angle to it too. “The killer instinct is always to prove yourself, so, never give up”, Mr. Khiwani said during his address.
A warm welcome to the Guests of Honor on behalf of entire DCAC family.
Igniting of the lamp & opening of the festival on March 24th, 2014.
Mr. Anubhav Khiwani (Founder, Denetim Services) addressing the crowd at his alma mater.
Mr. Maheshwar Peri (Founder, Outlook Magazine), delivering a lecture on ‘Right Place, Right Time’
The Array of Events
1. Polemic Foe: The Commercial Covert
The event was designed to test the knowledge, speaking skills and confidence of the selected six finalists on topics given extempore. However, this came with a twist, as each round had a covert, who was equipped with helping aid, in form of pointers related to given topic. Hence, along with the said, it also tested the presence of mind, balancing streak and ability to accurately guess and eliminate the covert.
Winner – Anshul Gupta ( Delhi College of Arts & Commerce)
Polemic Foe : The Commercial Covert.
2. Kaizen : The Inventory Management Competition
The event focused on the importance of inventory management in the cost profit relations of an organization.
Winners – Siddharth Jain & Utkarsh Srivastava (Delhi College of Arts & Commerce)
Runners Up – Vaishnavi Pathania & Monica (Motilal Nehru College)
The budding inventory managers at work in the preliminary round to four hour long event ‘Kaizen’
The Kaizen evaluation team at work.
3. The Sensatus Business Challenge
A flagship event of Spektrum’2014, SBC hosted a unique business and idea auction, inviting bids from various investors and arranging for a face off of ideas in front of a distinguished jury.
Winners –Saurabh Jain & Aashika Aggarwal ( Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies)
Runners Up – Akshay Bansal ( Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies)
The auction winners at SBC being felicitated by Dr. Neeru Kapoor.
4. Cricket Fever: The Speculation Game
The event put to test the analytic skills, speculation and calculations of all the seventy participating teams in the game which runs in the blood of all Indians – Cricket.
Winner – Dev Khari & Deepak Kumar (DCAC)
First Runner Up – Arjun & Rakesh Aggarwal (DCAC)
5. Commusic – The Commerce & Music Quiz
A far more interesting quiz than the traditional grilling & tough question-answers, Commusic questioned the participating teams on easy commerce & music related questions, something everyone related to. The concept being new was widely accepted as 70 teams participated in the fun filled event that went on for three rounds.
First Runners Up – Savan Singh & Arunav Chaudhary (Zakir Hussain College/ Ram Lal Anand College)
Second Runners Up – Shenjit Basu & Ridhiman Roy (Delhi College of Arts & Commerce)
6. Portfolio Perfecto : The B-Plan Competition
A platform for presentation, discussion and improvement of innovative business & entrepreneurship ideas and felicitation of the best one.
Winners – Rohan Kapoor & Himanshu Garg ( Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji Institute of Technology)
Runners Up – Vipul Vaid & Shivani Garg ( Delhi Technological University)
Distinguished panel of judges evaluating the presented business ideas.
7. Stock – O- Holic
The event which showcased an artificial simulation of a financial stock exchange with its dynamic streaks of bullish & bearish trends of market. Over 120 teams registered for the event, which went on for more than four hours.
Winners – Adarsh & Salil Arora (Delhi College of Arts & Commerce)
L to R : Bilal Amrohi, Pulkit Samrat & director Atul Agnihotri
Pulkit Samrat writing messages for fans on the promotional ‘O Teri’ T shirts.
Bilal Amrohi & Pulkit Samrat’s short dance performance at Spektrum DCAC.
The closing ceremony of DCAC’s Spektrum was graced up by the presence of actor Pulkit Samrat & Bilal Amrohi, who had come to the college campus for the promotion of their upcoming flick – ‘O Teri’ scheduled to release on March 28th, 2014. The actors were seen interacting with students as well as teachers, distributing CDs , signing T shirts and dancing in their short fifteen minutes appearance to a packed audience desirous of witnessing more of the two leads.
