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The Nominations Debacle: SVC in Uproar as Nominations of ABVP Candidates Cancelled

By Sanika Singh September 17, 2023

After a tumultuous pre-election campaigning season, the nomination period for DUSU and college Student Union elections has proven to be no less happening. Amid similar scenes being reported in Hindu College, SSCBS, and Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College, ‘Venky’ or Sri Venkateswara College (SVC) saw students protesting against the administration to demand an explanation for the grounds on which their election nominations were cancelled.

On September 14, 2023, the administrative body of Sri Venkateswara College (SVC) released the provisional nomination list of candidates for election of Executive Committee of SVC Students’ Union & Central Councillors. This document listed 5 provisional candidates against the post of President, of whom two candidates—Arth Ohlan and Kartikey Tomar—were supported by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) according to our sources. The very next day, however, a corrigendum was issued by the college, removing Kartikey’s name from the list.

Even though the very first list claimed the candidates being “found valid provisionally, after the scrutiny for various posts”, the nomination of Kartikey Tomar was cancelled in the second list reportedly on the grounds of not meeting the attendance criteria. In conversation with DU Beat, Kartikey revealed the explanation he received from the college administration for the cancellation of his candidature.

Nominal list mein mera naam tha, usmein meri attendance poori thi. Par doosri list mein mera naam nahi thi aur admin ka kehna hai ki tumhari attendance poori nahi hai. Ya to meri attendance poori pehle nahi thi ya meri attendance kam karwai gayi hai.

(My name was there on the nominal list and my attendance was complete at that time. But my name was not there on the second list and the admin told me that your attendance was not sufficient. Either my attendance was not sufficient in the first place or my attendance has been reduced by someone.)

He blamed the college administration and election committee for committing such a blunder, if it was a case of the attendance criteria falling short. The latter part of his statement here is referring to a protest that happened on the college premises on the morning of September 15, where he and other sources alleged that “pass-out students” had protested to cancel his nomination. The same was mentioned in a complaint mail sent by Kartikey, addressed to the DU Registrar, Dr Vikas Gupta, Dean of Colleges, Prof. Balaram Pani, DU Proctor, Prof. Rajni Abbi, among other University officials. It read,

My name (Kartikey Tomar) was there in the list. But today a group of opposition students protested in front of the college administration and finally the election officer favored them and finally reduced my attendance by 1%.

One of our sources claimed that these protesting students had belonged to a youth organisation called ‘Happy Club’. We were able to get in conversation with one of the students from Happy Club, and they told us that suspicions arose over Kartikey Tomar’s attendance when they talked to his fellow batchmates.

Classmates ko idea rehta hai kisne kitne lectures attend karein hain… Jab humko doubt hua to humnei strongly is baat par demand rakhi. Administration ne humari sunkar cross-check kiya aur fir list badal di.

(Classmates tend to be aware of who has attended how many classes… When doubt arose, we strongly raised this demand. The administration listened to us and cross-checked (the attendance), after which they changed the list.)

They also informed us that the candidates from Happy Club have won both the posts of Vice-President and Secretary unconstested.

The provisional list of candidates is supposed to provide a final window to candidates to withdraw their nominations. ABVP activists from the college informed that they had submitted the withdrawal of Arth Ohlan’s nomination on their own volition, since the latter “was a second-year student and we thought it would be better for him to contest as President next year”. However, with the cancellation of Kartikey’s nomination, ABVP is left with no valid candidates on the final list for the post of President of Sri Venkateswara College Students’ Union.

In view of the same, Saturday, September 16, saw sloganeering and protests by ABVP activists in the Sri Venkateswara college premises. Protesting students gathered outside the administration office and messages circulating on social media also claimed that students had locked professors and staff inside a room. While the validity of the latter claim could not be fully confirmed, one of the protestors present on-ground did strangely admit during our conversation,

Ek hi professor hain jo apni marzi se ander baithe hain. Bas hum unhein bahar nahi aane de rahe.

(There is only one professor sat inside willingly. We are just not letting them come out.)

They also said that the door had been locked by the guards from the outside.

This is not the first time an incident like this is happening. Reports have been floating around of candidate’s nominations being cancelled allegedly without satisfactory explanations and students protesting against the same. The latest updates on the situation in SVC have informed that the Hostel Warden and another professor of the college advised the protesting students to send a mail to the Grievances Redressal Cell, along with assuring that their demands will be formally heard on Monday morning. Students wait in anticipation for the redressal of their grievances.

Featured Image Credits: EducationWorld

Sanika Singh
[email protected]

Campus Central

DUSU launches ‘One Day DUSU President’s Scheme’

By DU Beat July 12, 2023

DUSU launches ‘One Day DUSU President’s Scheme’ to foster leadership skills and provide a platform to students. Under the scheme students from the varsity will get to head the students’ body for a day.

The Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) on Monday, July 10th, announced a ‘One Day DUSU President’s Scheme’ under which the students from the varsity will get to head the students’ body for a day. The programme was announced at a Student Leader’s Meet, organised by DUSU on the occasion of National Student’s Day.

Students will have a unique opportunity to serve as DUSU president for a day under the scheme, which requires students to fill out a Google form, indicating their leadership skills in various sectors, including sports, academics, environment, art and culture, among others. Photos and videos must be attached with their respective projects as proof. The review of the application, shortlisting of candidates, and the final interview will be done by the Executive Council. During the interview, the candidates can discuss projects, showcase their abilities as well as present their vision.

After the evaluation by the Executive Council, the selected students will be publicly announced by the Council, recognising their leadership skills and contributions. The initiative is aimed at fostering and encouraging leadership skills and participation and provides a platform for students to contribute to the decision-making process within the university.

Student leaders play a crucial role in continuing the great legacy of DUSU leaders who have spearheaded student movements and served as inspirations for youth in India today. We hereby launch the One Day DUSU President scheme to give a platform to common students and our aspiring leaders to head the students’ union. The responsibility of student leaders is to lead by example and contribute to the betterment of society,”

said Akshit Dahiya, DUSU president, in conversation with The Indian Express.

Image Source: The Hindu

Vanshika Ahuja

Campus Central

Power and Politics in the Delhi University Student’s Union

By DU Beat September 20, 2022

If we turn the pages of our history, we will realise that our freedom struggle was an essential chapter in the history of the University of Delhi. It has been about 80 years since Mahatma Gandhi gave us the slogan “Do or Die”, and within weeks of the pronouncement of the slogan at the Bombay Session of 1942, protests started to take shape across the colleges of DU. From burning down an electric sub-station (by the students of Ramjas College) to marching in protest on 10 August 1942, against the authorities who jailed the Congress leaders the previous day (students of Hindu College, Indraprastha College, and St, Stephen’s College), DU was the political hub during the time. So, this culture of protest so firmly entrenched among DU students even today can be traced back all the way to our country’s struggle for independence.

Established in 1922, a time when India was engulfed by its struggle for freedom, both students and teachers were active participants in the anti-British movement. However, soon, the students realised a need for a union. It was in 1947, under the founder of the Delhi School of Economics, Vijayendra Kasturi Ranga Varadaraja Rao (V. K. R. V. Rao), when a provisional committee consisting of presidents of all the colleges was bestowed with the responsibility to draft the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) Constitution and take necessary steps for the creation of this institution. On 9 April 1949, DUSU came to life and was inaugurated by our first Prime Minister, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru. Since its inception, DUSU has become the first step toward the political scenario of the larger part of the country. Students belonging to various groups, having a range of ideologies, contest to be part of its panel. Some of the most notable student organisations that it represents are the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), Students’ Federation of India (SFI), Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS), All India Students’ Association (AISA), and many more.

Delhi University is as well known for its politics as well as for its historical significance and educational culture. Its political atmosphere is so important that at times, even mainstream political parties take keen interest in it. Nevertheless, it is worth noticing how the culture of protest and dissent was born in the sensitive pre-independence independence and how it has transformed since then to take its present form. Are the organisations doing their jobs correctly or are they just practicing dissent in the name of vote-bank politics? This is one of the most crucial questions we must seek the answer to.

The ABVP, a right-wing student organisation affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has had the most successful run in DUSU history in recent years. The root cause of this success can be traced back to the period of the Emergency in 1975, when DUSU once again became a centre of political resistance. Arun Jaitley, a former member of ABVP and Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), was elected as the president of DUSU in 1974. He is known to have played the most instrumental role in bringing reform to DUSU. Until 1973, colleges used to elect 10 DUSU councilors, who further used to elect the panel of DUSU. However, from 1973 this policy was transformed into ‘one-student, one-vote’, turning the system from an indirect to a direct democracy. Also, Jaitley is famously known for being the first satyagrahi against the imposition of an internal emergency. In 1977, Vijay Goel, who was affiliated with ABVP, became the President of DUSU. His focus during the campaign was the excesses that occurred during the emergency.

More recently, Nupur Sharma, a former BJP national spokesperson, was elected DUSU president as the ABVP candidate in 2008. This broke the ABVP’s eight-year wait for power in the DUSU, which had been dominated by NSUI. That year, the other three posts (Vice President, Secretary, and Joint Secretary) went to the NSUI.

If we look at the last 10 years, the NSUI has only held the President’s seat only twice. This does beg the inevitable question of why the ABVP has found so much success. During the internal emergency, it can be credited to the country’s political atmosphere, which helped in garnering support. In its initial days, it is safe to say that people were more focused on work than their political inclinations and other interests. But what about today? Is it functioning the way the students desire or is it enjoying an undue dominance? Is it standing for the students and working for their demands, or are they too invested in getting memorandums signed in the name of vote banks? On the other hand, the left-wing parties, which emerged as a force to content with in DU politics quite recently, have centred their existence around fighting for or against various issues through protests and rallies. In this respect, their innovation and resourcefulness is beyond compare.

But the larger question remains: are any of the organisations working for the students, or has their functioning been overcome by their self-interest and blinded by lofty goals of perhaps being a part of the ‘real deal’?

But what is the real deal now, apart from the “glorious” past that DUSU holds? Since 2019, DUSU elections have not been held and even for this year as I type this out, there is no clarity or instruction about them. For a Student’s Union that has not seen elections in the past three years, to term this period as worthy of congratulations to the DU fraternity is a disaster in itself that reflects what sort of bizarreness surrounds DU politics today. At nearly every step the recommendations of the Lyngdoh committee (set up by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) in 2006 as per the direction of the Supreme Court to reform students’ union elections and to get rid of money and muscle power in student politics), are sidelined. Even a short conversation with those batches who have witnessed the famous DU elections is enough to know the huge amounts spent to buy students’ votes with freebies.

Every party in this arena carries its burden of faults. With major players being invisible throughout the year, some parties have engaged themselves in constant show politics. earning a name for themselves as “far protestors”. Be it any event or protest, you are most likely to see the same faces appearing everywhere, carrying faulty lies around.

But what’s the real issue here? Are parties facing problems in mobilising the students of DU? Or has its flame died down? Maybe it has just become a mere shell of what it used to be with constant clamping down on dissent at the college level. Though efforts by left parties in the form of reading circles can’t be ignored, ABVP too has attempted to mobilise students. But the fault of parties lies majorly in being unable to maintain a connection with the students. Even with these events and attempts to get closer to the students’ community, student parties cling to rigid ideologies rather than adapting to the circumstances, often barring those without political influence from engaging in what remains of student politics at the university. Indiscriminate fights and beatings do the rest of the work of turning students away from politics, with only 39% voting recorded in the last elections.

One of the biggest shortcomings of the DUSU is the exclusion of various colleges, especially ‘women’s colleges’, whose students have been visibly political in their stance. The absence of political presence on these campuses is clear exclusion by the administration and the silence of student parties over this issue makes clear their lack of concern over diverse representation in their parties, which is often stressed upon by them to win brownie points.

With fringe protests occurring only for some matters chosen specifically to grab as much attention as possible, the majority of student issues largely remain ignored. So, it is the right time to question what is being done of the legacy DUSU had in the name of power and politics and, more importantly, to start a conscious and organised movement to politicise (or rather, repoliticise) DUites.

Image Credits: Times of India

Ankita Baidya

Kashish Shivani

Features

Violence, Protests and Dirty Politics: The Lens on DU

By Siddharth Kumar September 11, 2022

Throughout its storied history, Delhi University has gained a reputation as a political university. This article takes a look at the political perception of DU and its credibility.

If there is one thing you know about me, reader, it is that I absolutely love telling stories. In fact, I was indulging this exact habit a few weeks ago in a conversation with a friend as I regaled him with the ridiculous tales of DU politics I’d come across during my first month as a correspondent at DU Beat. As I finished my story about yet another instance of some student organisation appealing to their college’s admin on some glamorous student issue that would be great for attracting votes, he laughed and said something that would stick with me for a while. He told me, “Man, you’re a DU student, of course you get dragged into political events.”

“What a strange remark,” I thought, “And really? With JNU right there?” Therefore, I decided to try and figure out why universities like DU have been entrapped in prisons to the politics of the time and here we are. The answer? It starts – just like DU – in the 20s.

Delhi University was established in 1922, with just four affiliate colleges: St. Stephen’s, Hindu College, Zakir Hussain College and Ramjas College. A place like Delhi University, with the space for intellectual stimulation and debate that it offers, was always going to be an incubator for students that cared about where their country was going and were ready to do something about it. Thus, it is not a surprise that students of the varsity were actively involved in the freedom struggle. St. Stephen’s and Ramjas actively participated in the Non Cooperation and Civil Disobedience movements. Hindu College was at the front of the nationalist movements in the 20s – it is the only college since 1935 in Delhi to have a student parliament. This parliament gave a platform to leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Subhash Chandra Bose, Jawaharlal Nehru and Motilal Nehru. The people that walked the halls of these institutions – students and staff alike – were nationalists.

In the 70s, Indira Gandhi’s government declared the Emergency and the country grappled with an authoritarian regime that refused to listen to the opposition. In such a situation, it seems you can always count on the youth of a nation to bring their fire and their impassioned appeals for change. And they did not disappoint at the time either! Delhi University saw the rise of the two major student organisations, the National Students Union of India (NSUI) and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP). The former is the student front of the Congress while the latter is backed by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Alongside them, other student organisations such as Students Federation of India (SFI) and All India Students Association (AISA) also arose, albeit nowhere near to the dominance of the NSUI and ABVP. At the time, the ABVP regularly campaigned against the government, establishing itself with its anti-authoritarianism and anti-emergency protests. This period of tension culminated with the arrest of the Delhi University Student Union (DUSU) president at the time, Arun Jaitley. As Shraddha Iyer declares in her piece for DU Beat, “The arrest of Arun Jaitley had one implication for students: the centre fears their ability to mobilise against them.”

Delhi University has since been home to all kinds of political debates and discussions between different ideologies. While most students do not buy into the exact ideologies of the numerous student organisations waiting to spend lakhs to buy their votes, there is a general acceptance of free ideals and a willingness to raise their voices in favour of what is right and against what is wrong.

In 2020, with the controversial CAA being passed around in the Houses of Parliament, there was a line of protests across the nation. At the forefront? The young minds of one of the country’s most respected universities. DU students did not shy away from arranging mass protests against the bill. They showed, very adamantly, that the majority of the next generation of this grand nation did not agree with the kind of administration that was being set in place for the future that they were to inherit. They claimed that the CAA was unconstitutional as by excluding Muslims it went against India’s core tenet of secularism, Against the central government’s repeated attempts to shut them down – some of which were ridiculously dirty – the students raised their voices even higher. The protests were disrupted by the pandemic in the end, but the students had proved that 50 years on from the events of Emergency, the students of Delhi University were still ready to fight for what they cared about.

Alongside these admittedly impressive showings of power by the students, the dirtier side of student politics has also flourished. Student politics are seen as a platform before taking the next step and joining politics at the government levels. Every year in September, the DUSU elections take place at the university. The campuses are gripped by election fever as lakhs are spent by student organisations to butter up the newest batch of students. There is a frenzy for power and authority as the streets are filled with processions of people proclaiming slogans of their respective affiliations. Student organisations feel that the September winds bring back importance to the always prevailing student issues and decide to launch protests across campuses. As I write this article, on September 14th, there are protests taking place in various colleges such as Ramjas, Shyam Lal College, Zakir Hussain, Lakshmibai College and more. All of them are carried out by the ABVP on issues ranging from fee hikes to, for some reason, a boys’ common room. There are seemingly infinite wads of cash thrown by all organisations at alcohol, parties, trips to the water park and fast food for students in a bid to secure their loyal votes.

It gets darker, there are regular reports of politically incited violence on the campuses of the University. It is particularly harsh for the candidates in the running for the positions of the DUSU. In September 2019, the ABVP alleged that the NSUI attacked their candidate for Joint Secretary. Two days later, the NSUI alleged that the ABVP attacked their candidate for vice-president. In 2022 alone, there have been multiple allegations against the ABVP by the NSUI and SFI accusing the rightist organisation of violence.

In the end, it seems my friend was right about DU being political. It may be a perception that’s a little too absolute and dismissive, but it is right to some extent. Delhi University can be a political hotbed. However, more often than not, this is a direct consequence of being a space for debate and discussion of different ideologies right at the capital of the country. Hundreds of students from different backgrounds from different parts of the nation attend this famed university. That kind of exposure brings with it intellectual debates and discussions hidden within the fun of campus life.

All DU ever asks its future students is one thing: what are you willing to stand for? For the pre-independence students of the university it was freedom. For the students in the 70s it was anti authoritarianism. For the students in 2020, it was a sense of secularism and unity. As the elections roll around and the exaggerated showings of student support start, DU and its historically active alumni now ask you, dear reader, “what will you stand for?”

Featured Image Credits: The Hindu

Siddharth Kumar

Campus Central

Is DUSU a man’s world?

By Manasvi Kadian September 4, 2022

When you look at all the colleges that are not affiliated with DUSU, you will notice that most of them turn out to be women’s colleges rather than co-ed institutions. Is this because of what the students want, or what the college administration deems “right”, or what society considers a norm?

Delhi University is defined by some key components that make up the whole “DU college experience”— the campus, the food, and the infamous student union elections. But you would be wrong to assume that this is the case in each and every college of Delhi University. As of 2019, a total of only 52 DU colleges and faculties are affiliated with the Delhi University Student Union, lovingly referred to as DUSU.

A large proportion of the colleges not-affiliated with DUSU comprise women’s colleges, leaving barely any women’s colleges to be a part of DUSU. The question arises— does an internal bias really exist amongst the female DU students to not want to be part of the process and the complications of DUSU or is this just a manifestation of a system of historical entrenchment of women, not just in politics but in society as a whole?

The scene that we witness on larger political platforms like in various state assemblies or in the parliament, with men occupying most of the positions of power and women being given only token representation, can be seen trickling down onto the university level as well. Many of the contesting groups have only one female contestant amongst a group largely dominated by male candidates, a clear misrepresentation of the ratio of male to female students in the Delhi University student body.

When DUSU is not included in it (women’s colleges), I think it is taking away a lot of political autonomy…. (when) people opt out of it (DUSU) or when we aren’t kept in the loop, we miss out on a lot of political discussions and a lot of very important decisions that can be taken by us,” says Avantika, a former student from Gargi College.

Rather than addressing the concern of college administrations themselves not wanting their colleges to be a part of DUSU, the primary concern would be to address the question of whether female students themselves want to be a part of these elections.

It is not only about if we WANT to be part of the elections or not, but also that women always have and will have more restrictions— in terms of curfews, family concerns, safety issues, etc. Essentially, the way DU politics functions currently makes it very difficult for women to be part of the same, and that gives everyone an excuse and a justification to just not include women in DUSU in general,” says a 1st-year student from Delhi University.

The kind of freedom that male candidates possess and use has always existed in parallel to women candidates. The early curfews mean that most women candidates end up being unable to dedicate the same amount of time campaigning or organising events as a male candidate and the concern for safety, specifically in a city like Delhi, does not add positively to it.

While entering into politics, women majorly face harassment, (wrongful) comments, and at times sexual torture. They are threatened and majorly, they are emotionally blackmailed,” says Meenakshi Yadav, a 2nd-year journalism student from LSR, who is also serving as the president of SFI LSR.

All these factors have, in a sense, culminated to form a sort of vicious cycle— women cannot give enough time or resources to the elections due to the systematic exclusion of women from public life, which leads to them being at a disadvantage and ultimately, in most scenarios, to them not being elected. This ends with a bare minimum representation of women in the elected panel and when women aren’t occupying decision-making positions, how do we expect women’s issues to come up and be addressed on public platforms?

But this is definitely not the only or the complete reason behind the non-participation of women’s colleges in DUSU. Most college administrations would rather not have their college be a part of DUSU, with many of them following on this path since the very beginning while others have pulled out from DUSU in recent years. “Yeh college DU politics ka part nhi hai, yahan padhayi acche se hogi” is a phrase most of the students in these non-DUSU colleges—like St. Stephens, Lady Shri Ram College for Women, or Gargi College—have heard at least once in their life, and this is exactly what the college administration exploits as well. Colleges that are not affiliated with DUSU go so far as this non-affiliation usually gets endorsed by the college administration and further appreciated by prospective students and their parents.

Most of the faculty at these colleges believe that the time during and around the DUSU elections is bubbling with hooliganism and leads to a very disruptive atmosphere in the college. Monika Nandi, associate professor at the Indraprastha College, is against taking part in DUSU elections “because of the use of money and muscle power”. But the teachers also do not hold a unanimous opinion over this. On the other hand, Bhupinder Chaudhary, associate professor at the Maharaja Agrasen College, does not feel that the issue of money and muscle power subsides by restricting the college’s or students’ access to DUSU. “All college students are above 18. If at that age they are allowed to elect the country’s government, why should they not be allowed to elect their union?” Moreover, he raises a very valid question, that is, if teachers can have their own union, the Delhi University Teacher Association, then why can’t (shouldn’t) the students?

Most of the colleges don’t want to indulge in the disturbances which come from external sources like colleges, media, students, etc. (during elections). They want to keep a peaceful environment by suppressing the opportunities of students. They fear the revolution and violence that they think they will have to face if the students are involved in Politics, ” continues Meenakshi, in conversation with a DU Beat correspondent.

College administration would rather argue that it is for the “benefit” of the female students that the college would rather not affiliate itself with DUSU, citing the same reasons that society has cited to women for centuries now— “It’s for your own safety” or “Acche ghar ki ladkiyan yeh sab nhi krti”, all platitudes to suppress the voice of women in a world standing on the foundation of patriarchal bullies and misogynistic ideals.

They tell us to lock up our doors, shut tight our windows, dress right, look down, speak low, hide away; because whatever makes it unsafe for us out there, that is not going to go away.

So yes, women have been told to hide away for decades, and yes, “men will be men” and “we can’t change the society” have been the go-to phrases for centuries of missed opportunities and stolen platforms, but does that mean that in 2022, women belonging to such prestigious institute ons like Delhi university colleges— well-educated and independent-thinking women— should be denied of opportunities as basic as being able to vote? Even though all these colleges might not be a part of DUSU but that does not mean that DUSU does not affect these colleges. None of us exist in a vacuum. Delhi University has always been and will always be highly interdependent, so how does it make sense for the college administration to deny a platform like DUSU to students just because in technicality it is allowed? How does it make sense for us to talk about women’s problems in front of a male-dominated panel, elected by a predominantly male student population, who belong to an electoral college that barely includes any women colleges? How does it make sense to be living in a time when we still need to fight for women’s suffrage?

Feature Image Credits: indiatvnews.com

Manasvi Kadian

Coronavirus

ABVP Releases Questionnaire for Students on Conduction of Exams

By DU Beat April 19, 2020

Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) introduced an online Google form soliciting opinions of students with regards to conduction of their postponed examinations, some of which shall later be added to a memorandum scheduled to be submitted to the authorities.

Amidst the shutdown of universities across the country and the indefinite postponement of semester examinations in lieu of the coronavirus-induced national lockdown, Akhil Bharatiya Vidya Parishad Delhi came out with a press release on 16th April 2020 announcing the release of a “Student Opinion Form” for students of universities across Delhi including University Of Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Lal Bahadur Shastri Sanskrit Vidyapeeth, Ambedkar University with an aim to collect concrete suggestions and opinions regarding the evaluation of their internal assessments and conduction of semester examinations.

This new initiative has been termed as the “Padhega Bharat, Badhega Bharat aur Jeetega Bharat” (India studies, India grows, India wins) campaign. After compiling the opinions and selecting a few notable suggestions, ABVP intends to add them to a memorandum which is due to be presented to the University Grants Commission and the Ministry Of Human Resource Development shortly.

Stressing on the necessity of this initiative due to recent developments such as the possibility of examinations shifting online, Sidharth Yadav, State Secretary, ABVP Delhi came out with a statement, “The pandemic has adversely affected the student community. There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the resumption of normal civic life, reopening of campuses, conduct of internal assessments and conduction of semester examinations. The semester examinations have also been kept in abeyance. Since students are the primary stakeholders, their suggestions concerning the issues that can influence their academic progress, especially the possibility of organizing web-based semester exams merit specific inclusion on our memoranda.”

The fifteen-point questionnaire includes simple close-ended questions like “Have you ever given any internal exam/project/assignment during the coronavirus pandemic or prior?”, “Are you comfortable giving online assignments/assessments?”, “What online platforms do you use?” and also opinion-based open-ended questions like “Suggest a method for internal assessment during lockdown” and “In your opinion how should the semester exams be conducted?”. Most of the questions seem to seek the students’ opinions on the possible shift of internal and external assessments to online platforms.

“This new initiative was needed as this is an unprecedented situation. The questions are thoughtful and will surely help in revealing the views prevailing among students”, opined a first-year student of the University Of Delhi, on the condition of anonymity.

The link to the “Student Opinion Form” can be accessed through ABVP Delhi’s social media accounts.

Feature Image Credits: Akhil Bharatiya Vidya Parishad via Twitter

Araba Kongbam

Campus Central

ABVP and DUSU Introduce Online Remedial Classes Amidst Indefinite Lockdown

By DU Beat April 2, 2020

Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) have collaborated to launch online remedial classes for all students of the capital.

In a press statement released on Tuesday, 31^st March 2020, ABVP and DUSU announced initiatives to launch online remedial classes for all Delhi students. The organisations, recognising the grave academic losses occurring to the student community of the capital region due to the COVID-19 pandemic spread and lockdown, have decided to launch these remedial classes for all resident students of Delhi. Under this platform, all registered students will be able to access these classes.

This initiative involved not just students from the University of Delhi, but also students From Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Jamilia Millie Islamia (JMI), Indraprastha University (IP), Ambedkar University, as well as other registered colleges. Any student registered as a resident of Delhi can access this initiative. With the use of e-mail, voice notes, and online classes, the organisations plan to deliver the initiative of remedial classes to help students. The organisations also stated that a digital copy of all the course material will be made available to download.

Featured Image Credits: Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP)

“The national capital, being an education hub, has been affected by the ongoing lockdown. As a consequence, the student community has suffered in terms of loss of thousands of hours of classroom instructions, no access to public libraries, and the absence of functional alternatives. It is to address these significant problems that ABVP Delhi and DUSU have brought together more than 80 professors and teachers from eminent institutes like Delhi University and JNU, who will provide online guidance to students in more than twenty different disciplines. Students from DU, JNU, Jamia Millia Islamia, IP University, Ambedkar University, and others can register themselves to join these online remedial classes. Doubts of the students will be cleared via e-mail, voice notes and discussions during online classes. Course materials would also be made available in the digital form,” the press release stated.

Featured Image Credits: Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP)

Sidharth Yadav, State Secretary, ABVP Delhi, said, “ABVP activists and volunteers have responded to the lockdown in more ways than one. Distribution of ration and similar essential goods among the stranded students, prompt medical assistance, appeals for the forbearance of rentals have been some of our initiatives. Online remedial classes add another dimension to our comprehensive response to this crisis. As a sincere representative of students, our efforts to assist the student community and the larger society will continue with the same momentum throughout the lockdown.”

“Distance learning and social distancing seem to be the only way out in these trying times. While we are thankful to the professors and scholars who have agreed to guide the students, we would request the varsity administration to institutionalize similar efforts for maximized scope and reach. We are endeavouring to provide a wide spectrum of e-learning resources and would urge the students to join these in large numbers. More instructors, courses, and study materials will be added as and when required,” Akshit Dahiya, President, DUSU, also stated.

The capital has been put under lockdown as per the orders of the government to prevent the spread of the pandemic, with educational institutions being shut down indefinitely until further orders.

Featured Image Credits: DU Beat Archives

Shreya Juyal

Campus Central

DUSU Requests Authorities to Look After Hostellers

By DU Beat March 29, 2020

Owing to the threat posed by the spread of COVID-19, DUSU has requested the Dean of Students’ Welfare to take necessary steps for the safety of students living in hostels.

In order to ensure the safety of students living in Hostels of various colleges and departments, Ashish Lamba, Secretary of the Union, sent a letter to the Dean of Students’ Welfare (DSW) on Thursday. He requested the Dean to take necessary steps in order to ensure the well-being of these students, as the threat of infection looms large over everyone.

Through the letter, the Secretary informed the Dean about the complaints he received from students living in hostels. Such students might have complained about inadequate facilities to counter the dissemination of the disease. He requested the authorities to look after the living spaces, meals, sanitation, and availability of medical equipment for the safety of all students. The NSUI leader also requested the authorities to prepare themselves for a health emergency of any kind.

Chetna Tyagi, Leader, NSUI said, “NSUI did send a letter to the Dean of students welfare regarding the students who are stuck in PGs and hostels for proper food facilities and sanitation, and to provide them with travelling facilities to reach their hometown after the lockdown since the situation is getting serious these days. So there is a need to help the students urgently”.

NSUI also issued a public statement regarding the same, which demanded the authorities to ensure proper arrangements for students residing in hostels. It also demanded the DSW to ask the Government of Delhi for special permission for the students who wish to go home.

Dev Narayan, a student of Ramjas College, said, “I am a hosteller. My train got cancelled amid COVID-19. Circumstances compelled me to stay in the hostel. Firstly we were not allowed to stay by college authorities despite the risk that if we step outside the hostel, we might expose ourselves to the virus. The notice from MHRD saved us according to which we were allowed to stay. Still, we are facing issues of sanitation and mess facilities.”

Another student, in the condition of anonymity, said, “We completely agree with the statement made by NSUI. Students should be provided with all the basic necessities during this lockdown period.”

NSUI National Secretary Nikhil Kamble states, “We know this is tough time for all but we are trying our level best to resolve it. We have demanded universities to provide proper meals and sanitiser for the students who have been stucked in hostels and PG’s. soon we will start to raise volunteering students relief fund from NSUI office bearers to provide help for socially and economically backward class students who have been affected during this corona virus lockdown.”

Numerous students are stuck in Hostels as there is a complete lockdown in the capital. Restrictions on public transport have disabled these students from going back home. A video made by residents of the hostel of Ramjas College surfaced online about a week ago, through which the students complained that they were being forcefully evicted, despite the unavailability of public transport.

Several hostels were shut and students were asked to leave before the lockdown itself. This includes hostels of Hansraj, IPCW, Venkateswara and LSR, among others. The letter sent by the secretary requests the relevant authorities to look after the students who are still living in these hostels, as the nation is under a blanket lockdown now.

Image Credits: DU Beat Archives

Kuber Bathla

[email protected]m

News

DUSU Demands Same Hostel Timings for All

By DU Beat March 12, 2020

Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) stands up against discriminatory hostel curfew timings for boys and girls.

A decision that has long been a contentious point of discussion and debate, the women’s hostels of the University of Delhi (DU) have traditionally set their curfew timings at a point earlier than those of their male counterparts, citing safety as the primary reason.

Residents of the University of Delhi’s women’s hostels have been out on a protest since the 27^th of February, against various issues concerning the state of their hostels, primarily bringing up the issue of discriminatory curfew timings. Voices have also been raised against the lack of better amenities as well as the exorbitant fee system.

Protesters burnt an effigy of the Vice-Chancellor (VC)on the 9^th March after repeated ignorance of their demands by the university administration. A female hosteler of the university, on the condition of anonymity, said, “I do support the cause of my fellow hostelers wholeheartedly but in my opinion, the burning of the VC’s effigy was a step too far”

Universities, organisations, student communities, and student activists have expressed support and solidarity with the hostelers’ protest, including the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) amongst others.

Akshit Dahiya, President of DUSU, came out in support of the female hostellers and while noting the importance and necessity of curfew timings in ensuring basic discipline and decorum among the hostellers, also stressed on the fact that it wasn’t logical to have separate timings for male and female hostels, terming the arrangement “discriminatory”.

Dahiya opined, “It should not be different for girls and boys. We are against that discrimination. There should be a certain time by which you are required to get back to the hostel. Would you be coming and going as you wish in the middle of the night at home? Then why do it in the hostel?”

Chinmay Sahu, a student of Kirori Mal College termed the Students’ Union’s stand as “heartening” and said, “Going contrary to the wrongly prevalent stereotype of the Union leaders looking for only personal gains, this stand by them shall certainly go a long way in strengthening the will and cause of the protesters”.

The administration of the University, including the wardens and provosts of various hostels, are yet to give a reply to the ongoing developments.

“The decision to have separate curfew timings for male and female hostelers is audacious and reeks of sexism. If it is 6 pm for girls, it should be 6 pm for boys. If it is 10 pm for boys, it should be 10 pm for girls. It is time we remove traditional arrangements which go against gender equality,” opined a female hosteler of the University, on the condition of anonymity.

Featured Image Credits: Edex Live

Araba Kongbam