Reopen DU colleges, demand students

They stage protest outside V-C office

Delhi University students boycotted online classes and held a protest outside the Vice-Chancellor’s office on Monday, demanding reopening of the university.

After failing to get a positive response from university authorities, students said that they have decided to start an indefinite sit-in outside the V-C office. “The sit-in will go on till the V-C provides a written assurance to reopen DU without any further delay,” the Students’ Federation of India said.

‘None detained’

DCP (North) Sagal Singh Kalsi said that on the request of DU authorities, a few SFI /AISA protesters were removed from the spot and were immediately released when the premises was later found vacated.

“The university administration had asked for police assistance in getting the premises vacated of the protesters,” he said. The police said that adequate number of women police personnel were present to handle the female protesters and that many protesters had vacated the premises on their own “saving a few who were removed from the said premises”.

The police insisted that no person was detained in the incident.

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad submitted a memorandum to 55 college principals for reopening of Delhi University with immediate effect. ABVP State Secretary of Delhi unit, Sidharth Yadav said, “Our protests on different campuses will begin from Tuesday and we will continue until the university is opened. We are also organising a mass gathering on February 9 outside the Academic Counsel meeting in the North Campus and will pressure the administration to open immediately.”

“The frustration of students is quite evident. You can see it in their faces, hear it in their voices. The V-C must address the situation in the next two days or else we would have to break the locks on our classrooms ourselves”, said Ankit Birpali, a Hindu College student and SFI Secretary. The SFI announced the commencement of ‘Sadak pe Kaksha’, on the street from February 9 until the university reopens.

JNU protest

Meanwhile, Jawaharlal Nehru University students protested outside the Office of the Dean of Students and said that despite the administration saying that the campus had reopened, they continued to suffer as classes were still being conducted online. They said that the library continues to remain closed and books are not being issued. They added that hostels were also not being allotted to new students.