Latest
DU Beat – Delhi University's Independent Student Newspaper
Tag

NSUI

Browsing
News

NSUI took out March to Speak Out about Crime Against Women

By

Yesterday, an Asmita march was taken out by NSUI to speak out against the recent cases of crime against women and to demand greater safety for women in the varsity.

NSUI took out a march from the Faculty of Arts, University of Delhi (DU) yesterday. The protest aimed to speak out against the rising crime against women. The recent Asifa and Unnao rape cases and the subsequent silence around them compelled them to take out a march, claimed members. Slogans like “Chatron ke sammaan mein, NSUI maidan mein (NSUI is out to protect the rights of students” were raised at the march.
Present at the march were DUSU President and Vice President Rocky Tuseed and  Kunal Sehrawat respectively. NSUI National President, Fairoz Khan was also present along with Deepender Singh Hooda, Member of Parliament. However, the protest was not confined to the Asifa and Unnao cases. The safety of women around campus and the need to implement ICC laws across the University were talked about.

Apart from the implementation of ICC laws, the march demanded installation of CCTV cameras outside girl’s colleges and demanded that a female constable be present outside all colleges to curb stalking and eve teasing. After the march reached the faculty of arts again, a small delegation from NSUI including the Rocky Tusseed, Kunal Sehrawat, Akshay Lakha, and Fairoz Khan met Dean Students’ Welfare, Professor Rajesh Tandon. The delegation presented a memorandum that put forth all the demands raised by the marching body. a detailed discussion on the failure of the administration to make the campus a safer place for women also took place. Fairoz Khan while talking to Professor Tandon expressed his plight at the state of the well-being of women in the Varsity by saying “If DU cannot lead the country, if we the leading institution in the country cannot set an example and be a role model, then it is a shame.” The demand for self-defence classes to be held across the varsity was also put up. The delegation rationed that they had promised the student body of DU CCTV cameras and a safer and secure campus and that they are obligated to ensure that these demands are met.

Approximately 350 students were present at the march; however, women constituted a small fraction of the same. The protest which lasted around two hours remained peaceful and non-disruptive. Heavy deployment of police officials across the campus ensured that the march was carried out smoothly. NSUI leaders claimed that they would take out another march on the same scale, within 10 days, if their requests were ignored by the administration.

Kinjal Pandey

[email protected]

Feature Image Credits – Pinjra Tod

Keep Reading
By
News

NSUI Burns ABVP’s Effigy in a Protest Against CBSE Paper Leak

By

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSC) came under condemnation after its Class X Mathematics and Class XII Economics papers were leaked last week. Four students of different schools and two directors of a private coaching center were apprehended in connection with the CBSE question paper leaks.

This had triggered protests from different quarters of the student community. On Saturday, the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) staged a protest outside the ITO office of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). NSUI alleged that the office-bearers of the right-wing students’ organisation were caught leaking CBSE exam papers in Jharkhand.

Rocky Tuseed, President of Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU), in conversation with DU Beat, remarked, “This is an instance of gross injustice meted out to the students. 28 lakh students had given the 12th standard Economics paper. Due to the negligence of the CBSE, why is the future of students staked at risk?”
When asked who is to be blamed for the paper leak, Tuseed observed, “This is not an isolated incident. The government is also involved in this.”

Pragya Tomar, the General Secretary of the NSUI (Delhi State), told DU Beat, “We demand that an inquiry into the CBSE paper leak should be conducted and that the government should ensure a leak-proof mechanism to prevent such anomalies in future.”

Fairoz Khan, the National President of the NSUI, who met Prakash Javadekar, Union Minister of Ministry of Human Resource Development, said that the Minister has assured that they would investigate the matter and take the strictest possible action against those responsible.

In the letter written to Prakash Javadekar, the DUSU President has noted, “We request you to roll back the examination of Economics (class XII) and Maths (class X) as no student is ready to give their re-examinations.”

Notably, the CBSE had announced a retest of the two papers, following reports of the leakage.

Responding to allegations that an office-bearer of the ABVP was involved in the paper leak, Saket Bahuguna, the National Media Convener of the ABVP said, “He (the accused) has no current association with ABVP.”  He further assured that the accused in the case was shown the door by the ABVP as soon as he joined a coaching institution as a co-owner. The ABVP termed the NSUI’s protests as an attempt to defame it. “Systemic reforms in the examination patterns and procedures are needed. How is it that papers get leaked, but no structural changes are undertaken to stop any future leaks?,” questioned Saket Bahuguna.

Feature Image Credits: National Students’ Union of India
Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak
[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
News

AISA and NSUI Join Protest against Alleged Leak of SSC Exam Papers

By

The ongoing protest against the leaked SSC papers has now been joined by student political units AISA and NSUI.  

In a development considered ‘supportive’ by observers, leaders of the political units AISA (All India Student’s Association) and NSUI (National Student’s Association of India) joined the students protesting against the alleged leak of Staff Selection Commission (SSC) exam papers, on 16th March 2018.

The indefinite protest over the examination, which was conducted in February, has witnessed hundreds of aspirants protesting in the CGO complex, which houses the SSC headquarters. Since February 27, they have been demanding a time-bound CBI probe under the supervision of the Supreme Court into all SSC exams and the commission’s functioning. Secondly, they are demanding a stay order on all SSC exams until completion of CBI inquiry into the matter.

Responding to queries from the DU Beat correspondent, DUSU President Rocky Tuseed, who was present with the protesting students on Friday said, “We demand the suspension of SSC Chairman Ashim Khurana, and the resignation of Minister Jitendra Singh. The fight is not only against the isolated incident of leaked papers. Besides this, the SSC has delayed the joining of candidates who qualified two years ago. These anomalies speak volumes about the incompetence of the board and the government. ”

Speaking along similar lines with the DU Beat correspondent, President of AISA (DU) Kawalpreet Kaur, who was also present on the site of protest, remarked, “The students are not only demanding a CBI probe into this particular incident. They are linking this protest to a larger struggle against the numerous recruitment scams which are happening.”

When the correspondent mentioned the political mudslinging revolving this issue, Kaur stated, “Somebody has to take responsibility. It has been 15-18 days that the students have been sitting here. Home Minister Rajnath Singh has said that a CBI enquiry has been ordered. But the students are not satisfied because nothing is progressing.”

In a phone call conversation with this correspondent, Vice President of DUSU Kunal Sehrawat, said, “The students have taken to the streets to demand justice. Itna Time Ho Chuka Hai (It has been so long). The government must take responsibility. The student community has our full support.”

The protesters, today, were reinforced by the presence of Fairoz Khan, National President of NSUI and Sucheta De, National President of AISA, besides other prominent leaders. Shedding light on a different version of the scam, Chairman of SSC Ashim Khurana contended, “We have knowledge that certain coaching institutes are manipulating and escalating the protest. Once the exam is cancelled, they may offer a crash course to candidates’ ace it earning quick bucks in the process.”

Amidst the mudslinging being undertaken by the administration, one beacon of hope is provided by the student political units standing against the grave injustice being meted out to the aspirants, thus paving the way for a united student community at the face of a divided administration.

Feature Image Credits: NSUI

 Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak

 [email protected]

 

 

Keep Reading
By
Campus Central

NSUI Starts Indefinite Hunger Strike to Put Forth Demands

By

With unwavering purposefulness, NSUI started an indefinite hunger strike from the afternoon of January 23, 2018 at the Arts Faculty.
Members of NSUI braved the rains and flagged slogans such as, “Chatron ke samman mein, NSUI maidan mein” (NSUI has come out to work for the students), “Hum apna adhikar mangte, nahi kisise bheek mangte” (we ask for out rights, but refuse to beg), and “University humare-aapki, nahi kisike baap ki” (this university is ours, not any familial property).

In the hunger strike wherein senior members of the NSUI like Akshay Lakra and Anushesh Sharma were present, the gathering demanded the setup of a central library which would be open 24 hours of the day, u-special buses in campus for DU students, fee reduction of the Delhi School of Journalism, and special metro concessional passes for DU students.

It is noteworthy that until 2013, a number of University buses were plying to cater to DU students. But now, there is not a single u-special bus. As such, students of far-flung colleges such as Shyamlal College and Vivekananda College have been forced to use private cabs which dig a hole into their pockets. This also affects the safety of girls studying in colleges like Aditi Mahavidyalaya as they are forced to risk their lives and travel alone.

On being asked about their third demand by DU Beat, NSUI Delhi President Akshay Lakra reasoned, “Delhi Metro fare has almost doubled in the past 1.5 years. In October last year, I along with two NSUI activists Shauryaveer Singh and Arjun Chaprana were compelled to jump into the metro tracks in a protest to attract the attention of the government. But till date, nothing has progressed on that front.”
Speaking further on their fourth demand, Akshay Lakra asserted that the high fees for the Delhi School of Journalism symbolises defacto privatisation and hence needs to be reduced.
On being asked whether there has been any response from the authorities’ side, NSUI National Secretary Anushesh Sharma said, “We have tried to contact the VC and the Dean of DU, but they have ignored our demands. When we put forth our demand of a 24/7 centralized library, they ignored the same on the premise of security and budget excuses. Hence we will continue to strive for the students until our demands are fulfilled.”

Feature Image Credits: Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak for DU Beat

Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak
[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
DUB News

Resolutions Passed by Students’ Organisations in Youthquake

By

In a press release dated January 3, 2018, several students’ organisations have mutually agreed upon a student resolution that was passed in Youthquake. The resolution deals with recommendations of electoral reforms, Students’ Right Act, the age of contesting elections, and unemployment allowance.

In a resolution passed by the students’ organisations in Youthquake on January 3, 2018, the rationalisation of the student elections and the formation of an independent Election Commission were seen as legitimate demands in the light of the arbitrary decision-making procedures of college administrations. The implementation of Lyngdoh Committee guidelines by the Ministry of Human Resource Development on an order of the Supreme Court adds weight to the demand for a separate legislation to deal with student elections in the country.

The students’ organisations have raised the demand for a separate institution under the Election Commission for conducting student elections and a complaint redressing mechanism. Such an independent Election Commission should be headed by a retired Chief Election Commissioner and should consist of retired members from the judiciary and administration, who possess impeccable records. Calls were made for compulsory and direct elections, revision of election expenditure especially the social media expenditure limit to be set in, the online voting system to restrict violence on students during elections, and reservation of seats for women candidates.

The Charter for Students’ Rights Act, comprising of the Fundamental Rights of Students and Directive Principles for universities and colleges was also laid down, which should be complied with by the university administration at all times. Additionally, a demand for a three-tier enforcement mechanism was also made, and the students’ organisations wanted the age of contesting elections to be brought down to 18 years.

“The Narendra Modi Government promised 2 crore jobs at the time of elections and made promises for unemployment allowances as well. But today, what we can see is that the credibility of universities is decreasing and democratic spaces for dissent are also being curbed by the institutions. Thereby, we have raised demands for the creation of an organisation/body along the lines of the National Commission for Women (NCW) or National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) to address the specific concerns of students- National Students’ Commission,” said Neeraj Mishra, National Media In-Charge of National Students’ Union of India (NSUI).

Several Students’ Organisations like the AISF, SFI, Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha, Naga Students’ Union, PUSU, Jharkhand Chhatra Sangh, Joint Action Commission-BHU, Swaraj Abhiyan, Panjab Students’ Union, Telangana Students’ Union etc. have mutually agreed upon the resolution. The Action Commission of the resolution consisted of J&K Students’ Union, YSR Students’ Union, All India Students’ Association (AISA), DUSU (Delhi University Students’ Union), AMU, SOPU, DURU etc.

 

Feature Image Credits: New Indian Express

Oorja Tapan

[email protected]

 

Keep Reading
By
Campus Central

Rocky Tuseed barred from entering DUSU office

By

The elected president of DUSU has been barred for now from entering the office. On Thursday, he was told that the university will have to take legal opinion before he can take charge as DUSU president after a criminal case against him came to light. The case dates back to a complaint made on August 6, 2014, by a final-year student of Shivaji College, Bhagat Singh, who alleged that he was beaten with a “wooden stick” by Tuseed and his three associates. The varsity, however, asked the other three office-bearers to collect the keys for their respective offices.

Tuseed, along with his supporters protested at proctor’s office and attempted convincing that the court order does not mention that he should be withheld from taking over as the president.
The proctor’s office maintained they will not act till there are consultations with the university’s legal team. The arguments on framing of charges in the 2014 case against Tuseed will take place on October 16.
The 2014 complaint, filed at the Rajouri Garden police station, alleged that Singh had been “present in his college during the presidential election and some students were conducting a meeting”. According to the complaint, when Singh was leaving his college “he was stopped at the red light outside Shivaji College” by one of Tuseed’s associates.
It added that “minutes after stopping him”, three other men, including Tuseed, “reached the spot and hit him with a wooden stick”. Singh alleged that he had “received multiple injuries on his body and head”. “Police was informed and the man was taken to DDU hospital, where he was discharged after first-aid.
Police also arrived and recorded Singh’s statement. On the basis of Singh’s complaint, a case was registered under sections 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 323 (causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 34 of the IPC,” a senior police officer said. Tuseed was arrested and sent to a 14-day judicial custody in Tihar before he got out on a bail.
Speaking to Indian Express Delhi Police officials said after that day, the complainant has been absent and no further contact has been made with him.
Meanwhile, the Vice-president Kunal Sherawat had assumed the office while the secretary, Mahamedhaa Nagar, and joint secretary, Uma Shankar, were yet to collect office keys from the proctor’s office.

 

Image Credits: DU Beat Archives

 

Sandeep Samal

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
Campus Central

IN CONVERSATION WITH: Rocky Tuseed, the DUSU President for 2017-18

By

Be it hiccups like the election officials cancelling his nominations, or reliefs like the High Court allowing him to contest the elections, or moments of ecstasy at finally winning the elections, Rocky Tuseed of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), the newly elected President of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) who is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Buddhist Studies, has seen it all in just a week’s time. In an exclusive interview with DU Beat, he discusses his ideas for the betterment of the University.

 

Q: You have been considerably active in politics this past year. From where did you start your venture into the field?

Ans: I joined Shivaji College in 2013; in my first year, I encountered several small problems like the non-functionality of the water-cooler, unavailability of Girls Common Room, etc. On being persuaded by my classmates, I contested and won the election for Executive Committee of DUSU, and that’s how it all started.

 

Q: Now that you are the DUSU President, what are the key areas you would like to personally focus on?

Ans: There are several areas that I am going to work on for the betterment of the students. Alongside working on every issue that has been mentioned in our manifesto, I will try to ensure that University students are entitled to metro passes because many students travel daily from far-off places.

 

Q: Providing affordable accommodation to students was one of the main agendas of NSUI this time. Given the fact that DUSU doesn’t have any power to construct hostels, how do you plan to see this promise fulfilled?

Ans: Although DUSU doesn’t have the authority and budget to construct hostels for students, we can certainly pressurise the University of Delhi (DU) administration to construct more hostels. The University returned nearly Rs 150 crore meant for infrastructure development to the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) despite the fact that it has more than 95 acres of vacant land where it could have constructed new hostels. We will also take up the issue of implementation of the Room Rent Control Act with the Delhi government.

 

Q: Your campaign focused on ensuring transparency in the DUSU budget. How do you plan to turn these words into action?

Ans: We are planning to ensure maximum transparency in our budget allocation. We will try to upload all our bills that are sanctioned by the Union on the DU website if allowed. Or else, every bill will be uploaded on the NSUI website.

 

Q: How do you plan to ensure a violence-free campus wherein our academic spaces remain free from intimidation and political interference?

Ans: We will try to restrict outsiders entry into the University. No type of violence in the shadow of fake nationalism will be allowed under our leadership of the Union.

 

Q: With several hiccups, your campaign must have been hectic. What is that one moment that you recall as being particularly unique in the course of your entire campaign?

Ans: There was this moment of disappointment after my nomination was cancelled by the University authorities. But, as the High Court reinstated my candidature and allowed me to contest the polls, the whole team just cheered and we all shouted in joy. I will cherish that moment of small victory forever.

 

Q: In one line, what would be your motto as the DUSU President for the year 2017-18?

Ans: Ho gayi peer parvat si bighalni chahiye, is baar DU se nayi dhara nikalni chahiye. Ye buniad ab parde ki tarah hilne lage, maksad hamari hai ki ye buniyaad badalni chahiye.

(The University has encouraged new voices and ideas. These very foundations are shaking now due to a new wave of change.)

 

Srivedant Kar

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
DUSU Elections 2017

Allegations of Criminal Offences Put Rocky Tuseed’s Presidential Post in Jeopardy

By

Newly elected Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) President, Rocky Tuseed now faces a setback to his victory run. On Wednesday, the Delhi High Court issued a notice to him after an intervening application held him guilty of concealing personal facts, including his arrest on criminal charges. The application was filed by Suman Chauhan and Jivesh Tiwari, counsel for Rajat Choudhary, the Presidental candidate of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidhya Parishad (ABVP). This September, Tuseed broke a five-year spell when he was elected as the first President of the DUSU from the National Students Union of India (NSUI) since 2012. The controversial candidate won the election with 16,299 votes, beating Choudhary who gained 14,709 votes.

The Allegation

The ABVP has played the Lyngdoh trump card; a recurring move in University elections across the country. The Lyngdoh committee guidelines which were implemented in May 2006 are to be followed in the Students’ Union elections in order to establish accountability, transparency, and discipline. The complainants have claimed that Tuseed hasn’t abided by these guidelines in his run for President.

Firstly, the application claims that Tuseed did not disclose that an FIR had been registered against him in Rajouri Garden on August 6, 2014, under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint). It also mentions that he was sent to judicial custody on August 28, 2014, to September 15, 2014.In this respect, the Lyngdoh Committee guidelines state: The candidate shall not have a previous criminal record, that is to say, he should not have been tried and/or convicted of any criminal offence or misdemeanour. The candidate shall also not have been subject to any disciplinary action by the University authorities.

Secondly, the application alleges that Tuseed had been given ‘essential repeat’ in two semesters while pursuing a Masters in Buddhist Studies in the academic session 2016- 2017. The Lyngdoh committee states that “the candidate should in no event have any academic arrears in the year of contesting election”.

The NSUI stance

The NSUI has defended Tuseed by refuting charges in a press release earlier today. It accuses Choudhary of approaching the Delhi High Court on the basis of a false FIR which was registered by the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) government in August 2014 against a group of students, during the 2014 DUSU elections. According to the NSUI, the complainant had withdrawn the case against Tuseed within a month. They’ve also pointed out the fact that the newly elected ABVP DUSU Secretary, Mahameda Nagar is also being investigated in a criminal case filed by the Dean of Faculty of Law.

A bumpy presidential run

This is the third time that Tuseed has been accused of disciplinary charges. When the Delhi University’s Chief Election Officer’s (CEO) office released their list of candidates on 5 September, the NSUI candidate, Tuseed’s name had not been mentioned on “disciplinary grounds”. The NSUI had then sought to campaign for an independent candidate, Alka, until the High Court acquitted him of charges on 9 September, two days before the DUSU elections. This arbitrariness had also dogged his presidential run in the Department of Buddhist Studies last year. The election commission had cleared him to contest the election which he subsequently went on to win.

In the running for this year’s DUSU election, ABVP candidate, Choudhary had also been caught up in controversy. Independent candidate Raja Choudhary had been given police protection following his complaint to the police and the chief election commissioner, in which he alleged that he had been beaten up and threatened by the ABVP candidate. According to Raja, the ABVP candidate had feared that the students would get confused between the two names- Raja Choudhary and Rajat Choudhary, and would mistakenly vote for the other candidate rather than the candidate of their choice.

What now?

Justice Indermeet Kaur has sought a reply from Tuseed on November 15. The High Court has termed the alleged concealment on his part as “very serious”.

Keeping in mind the fact that the Lyngdoh Committee guidelines are more often flouted than not, students wonder whether any strong action will be taken against Tuseed. The same guidelines also mandate that candidates should not be affiliated with any national political party and that the campaigning expenditure per candidate should amount to ?5000. Yet, DUSU elections have been more about contesting parties than individual candidates. The expenditure requirement has also become a joke, so much so that when Tuseed cheekily announced in a discussion on national television that his total expenditure amounted to ?4800, every speaker laughed it off.

With inputs from The Indian Express

Image Credits: Financial Express

Swareena Gurung
[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
News

DU Rejects NSUI’s Request for Recounting of Votes

By

The University of Delhi has rejected Congress-backed National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) plea for recounting of votes in the recently concluded Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections. Even though a recount of votes will not take place, the grievance redressal committee has permitted Meenakshi Meena and Avinash Yadav, NSUI candidates for Secretary and Joint Secretary respectively to view EVM-wise data.

 

NSUI claimed it won three not two posts in the DUSU panel post elections and alleged that the results were tampered due to intervention by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah. NSUI’s National Media In-Charge told Scroll.in., “The CCTVs were not working properly, and many officials from the ABVP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh were present in the counting centre.” NSUI asked the Election Commissioner to recount the votes and also submitted an official complaint to the grievance redressal committee. It had also threatened to move to the Delhi High Court soon.

 

Avinash Yadav, NSUI’s candidate for Joint Secretary of DUSU lost to RSS affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Paridhad’s (ABVP) candidate by 342 votes. NSUI’s candidates for the positions of President and Vice-President, Rocky Tuseed and Kunal Sehrawat bagged the seats by 1590 and 175 votes respectively.

 

Image Credits: Hindustan Times

 

Vijeata Balani

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
DUSU Elections 2017

Results: Delhi University Students’ Union Elections 2017

By

After weeks of campaigning, the Delhi University Students’ Union Elections 2017 were held on Tuesday, 12th September in colleges across the University of Delhi. At the end of the day, the voter turnout was said to be 42.8%, which was a huge improvement from last year’s turnout of 34.3%. The results for the same were announced on the afternoon of 13th September.

Rocky Tusheed and Kunal Sehrawat from the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), affiliated to the Indian National Congress, won the posts of President and Vice President respectively. This was an enormous leap for NSUI, as they emerged victorious over Rajat Choudhary and Paarth Rana from Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), affiliated to the Rashtriya Sawayamsevak Sangh (RSS). ABVP has maintained monopoly over these 2 posts for the past 4 years in DUSU. The post of Secretary and Joint Secretary has been won by Mahamedha Nagar and Uma Shankar from ABVP.

However, in a recent turn of events, the counting of votes for the post of Joint Secretary is being taken to the Delhi High Court by NSUI. Neeraj Mishra, the National Communications In charge of NSUI, said, “The average NOTA vote count for the post of Joint Secretary had been declared as 5000, however ABVP claims the NOTA vote count to be 9000. Due to the discrepancies in these numbers, the matter of the final vote count will be moved to the High Court by NSUI”. The final tally of votes were, President: NSUI (16299), ABVP (14709). Vice-president: NSUI (16431), ABVP (16256). Secretary: ABVP (17156), NSUI (14532). The post of Joint Secretary has been won by Uma Shankar from ABVP as of now, however the final decision will be declared by the Delhi High Court.

 

Feature Image Credits: DNA India

Joyee Bhattacharya

([email protected])

Keep Reading
By