Five more students were suspended by Dr BR Ambedkar University Delhi (AUD) on Friday, 11 April, for an alleged attempt to "physically assault the Vice Chancellor and Registrar’s official car."
The alleged incident happened on the AUD's Kashmiri Gate campus during an ongoing student-led protest to revoke the suspension of three students — Nadia, Anan and Harsh— for highlighting an alleged ragging-related suicide attempt of a second year student.
"Three students belonging to Dalit and Muslim communities have been arbitrarily suspended for speaking out against a ragging incident that led to a student attempting suicide,” read a statement issued by Students’ Federation of India (SFI), which has organised the protest. Their month-long indefinite protest took the shape of a relay hunger strike in the last eight days.
On Friday, AUD's security personnel clashed with the protesting students, allegedly beating them with lathis or batons; female students were allegedly manhandled by the male guards. Officers of the Delhi police were deployed at the campus gate later. Another student, partaking in the hunger strike, fainted as the temperature soared to 38 degrees Celsius in Delhi.
"This suspension is nothing but a way to curtail students, who speak up against the mismanagement and problematic working of the administration," said Nadia. The Quint has learnt that the Delhi High Court on 15 April sought AUD to revoke the suspension of the three students.
The Quint speaks to students who were suspended and those who have been enduring Delhi's scorching heat for over 40 days to demand that their classmates are re-instated.
But First, What Is the Incident in Question?
"On 28 February, a second-year BA student absent-mindedly littered in class while celebrating an occasion. Her classmates immediately asked her to call the janitor and get it cleaned,” Nadia claimed. But on her way she tripped and fell, injuring her foot and unable to make it back to her classroom.
The incident drew the ire of her classmates, who allegedly targeted and mocked her—sharing memes in the college WhatsApp groups. Things purportedly turned hostile as unknown numbers were added to these WhatsApp groups.
"She felt isolated and even tried to die by suicide but was saved by her mother. The student's mother called me on 1 March and told me about the incident. She wanted the student body to highlight the issue," Anan alleged to The Quint.
The same day, Anan wrote an email to to AUD's Vice Chancellor (VC), Proctor, Registrar, the Internal Complaints Committee and Deans of various schools:
"It is actually not surprising at all that AUD has come to such a pass, where a student is attempting suicide after facing ragging and bullying, when the administration chooses to ignore violence on campus despite being informed formally multiple times. The blame squarely lies on the Proctor, who has utterly failed to maintain the safety of students. This incident once again proves that the ICC is inadequate in addressing student issues.”Anan, in his email sent on 1 March
Nadia, too, joined this email chain in an attempt to highlight the issue. "I kept on writing to the admin till they acknowledged this issue. I had to do it. Because in this university, action seldom happens," she claimed.
Nadia, Anan, Harsh Suspended for 'Tarnishing AUD's Image'
On 3 March, Anan, Nadia and Harsh were summoned by a few professors in AUD's Karampura Campus.
"They said we had tarnished the image of the university. They also tried to brush this off as a small, minuscule incident that was blown out of proportion," Nadia alleged.
Anan added that the three were "not informed of the fact that they were being questioned by the enquiry committee for their suspension."
Through an email sent late on the night of 5 March, the three students were informed that they had been suspended and barred from taking examinations and entering any campus of AUD for a whole academic year.
“Eight other students—six girls and two boys, who were involved in the bullying incident, were also suspended the same day. While the girls were suspended for six months, the boys were suspended for a year. However, they were seen on campus giving assessments. After 10 days, the girl students' suspension was revoked,” Anan claimed.
SFI, a Left-leaning students body, has been protesting against the move— demanding the "immediate revocation of the arbitrary suspensions" as well as resignation of the Proctor for "their biased actions and failure to uphold student welfare."
“I am a scholarship student; completed my undergraduate degree from AUD. Anan is a bright student, and Harsh is a third-year student, who is staring at an abrupt end to his career if the unjust suspension is not revoked," Nadia lamented.
'AUD Security Personnel Clash With Students'
Students told The Quint that in response to the protest, AUD authorities have heightened the security on campus even as the main gate remains blocked since 5 March— cutting their access to canteen, admin block as well as the medical block.
Yet, students continued their protest in front of the AUD Library at the Kashmere Gate campus.
“No one from the authorities has tried to come to talk to us. In fact, they have blocked our access to the admin block. So on Friday, in an attempt to speak to the VC or Proctor, students went up to the main gate. This is when the security guards clashed with the students," claimed Shubhojeet Dey, Secretariat member, SFI AUD.
A statement from the student body released on Friday claimed:
"Students were beaten with sticks and batons. Their clothes were torn. Female students were manhandled — reportedly groped by male guards and policemen...Another student was beaten so severely that their arm was left badly swollen and possibly fractured."
In response to this, AUD suspended five students for "obstructing the working of University staff and attempting to assault and damage the property of a public servant."
SFI has strongly rejected these claims.
'AUD Using Suspension as a Tool to Scare Off Students'
AUD has recently been in news for suspending students and consequent student protests.
On 21 March, Mantasha, a student of MA (Global Studies), was suspended as she labelled the Vice Chancellor Anu Singh Lather’s Republic Day speech “problematic” for remarks on the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Mantasha's suspension was revoked on 4 April after a two-week-long protest.
Last month, AUD had served a show-cause notice to Associate Professor Kaustav Banerjee after he reportedly addressed a students' public meeting on campus against Mantasha's suspension.
“The university is using suspension as a tool to keep the students in fear,” Anan said. He had pointed out to some incidents in his email to the authorities too:
“Whether that be racist abuse faced by North-eastern football players, or physical assault on a queer student in KG campus, students are being terrorised by ABVP's goons with total impunity. When the Northeastern students were attacked, the AUD administration simply asked the culprits to convey an apology to the footballers. In the case of the attack on the queer student, absolutely no action has been taken so far.”
The Quint has not independently verified these claims. The Quint has also reached out to AUD's VC, Procter and Registrar and will update the story once they respond.
The three suspended students—Nadia, Anan and Harsh— approached the Delhi High Court to challenge their suspension. The court on 15 April sought AUD to revoke their suspension, SFI said. The Quint will update the story once details become clear.