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On 10 October, as the capital braced itself for the Cockroach Janta Party's protest against the SIR at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, many universities and schools switched to online classes for the day. This was due to the closure of entry and exit at 57 metro stations across Delhi and the deployment of police and CAPF personnel in large numbers, which made commuting, or any movement, difficult. However, Delhi University’s Maitreyi College made attendance mandatory, even promising double attendance and scheduling tests, to ensure students’ presence on campus. Some students saw it as a way “to ensure their absence in any political event or protest.”
On the night of 9 October, just a few hours before the protest, some students from Maitreyi College started receiving messages on group chats informing them of a double attendance policy for 10 October.
The Quint reached out to the above mentioned professors, they refused to comment.
However, Pawan Harsana, Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Maitreyi College, told The Quint, “Though I did not personally have a class that day, it is true that these messages were sent and double attendance was marked. Teachers were told to not let the students leave until 5:30, which shouldn’t have been the case.”
He further added, “From their perspective, I understand safety is a concern. But each student has a right to protest. [A] university should be a space for one to express themselves without hesitation. The college should not curtail this very basis of educational institutions.”
A university teacher who wished to remain anonymous confirmed that the instructions were set by the Principal. “It was also communicated in an informal manner, over calls or in in-person meetings. They knew this would become big, so they kept the record clean. They even told us to call each student personally, but we said that is not possible,” said the teacher.
Double Attendance as Incentive
When asked about the double attendance policy, Harsana explained, “We only give concessions to students for attendance; that means if they miss a class due to an extra-curricular activity or other reasons, we don’t cut attendance. That is different. Double attendance is not formally possible, especially in the case of guest professors who are paid per class. A double attendance would show a double class in the logs; how would they manage their payment system?”
Under the UGC’s Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) and the new National Higher Education Qualifications Framework (NHEQF), a credit is defined strictly by workload and time. This credit-based attendance system is also emphasised in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Attendance is a verification of that specific hour of learning. Structurally, a single hour cannot be accounted for twice in an audit trail, making double attendance not just against the guidelines but also formally impossible. This is different from an attendance waiver, which DU’s own statutory framework calls “Attendance Condonation” or “Duty Leave”, given for NSS, NCC or extra-curricular activities, as Harsana explained above.
“In the two years I have been here, they have never issued a college-wide notice of double attendance. The timing was telling of their intentions. We told our teachers we felt unsafe commuting, but they said the instruction was from the administration,” said Drishti Kumud, a second-year student.
The Quint reached out to the above-mentioned professor, who declined to comment. Two other professors, on condition of anonymity told The Quint that they shared the students’ concerns about safety while commuting.
It must be mentioned here that Maitreyi College is located in Chanakyapuri in Central Delhi, the area worst affected by the police blockades and metro closures.
“There is a difference between ensuring students’ safety and restricting their ability to exercise their right to protest. Using safety as a justification for forcing us to attend college takes away our freedom to choose whether we want to participate or not,” said Bhavya Maan, a second-year student at Maitreyi College, Delhi University. She further urged the college to instead adopt better ways of ensuring safety, such as “educating their students on the ongoing protests and allowing them to make their own informed decision”.
In an audio note accessed by The Quint, Associate Professor Dr Smriti Singh, told her class on the evening of 9 October "You will be getting double attendance for all classes principal ma'am has assured. I am also assure 20 hours of NSS (National Service Scheme) apart from the hours tomorrow, so all your work will be done. You all have to be there, take an auto, do anything, you all have to come tomorrow."
The Quint reached out to Dr. Singh for a comment. She explained that she needed volunteers for 'Aagaz', a Sports Day event organised on campus for persons with disability which was prescheduled months in advance and happened to fall on the same day. She denied any orders from the principal and refused to comment on double attendance being marked in other classes, emphasising that her main focus was to support her community by getting volunteers from her class and shared a report on the same with The Quint.
“You can’t give students bribes, supposedly for double attendance, just for them to not go to some protest. This is not one incident; it started with the protest against the Kalkaji rape case by LSR and Miranda. We have been repeatedly told not to protest, to not ruin the reputation of the college,” said Drishti.
She also explained that with the mid-semester examinations approaching the students need to meet the minimum attendance threshold in order to be eligible to sit these exams. Therefore, attendance acted as a “bribe”.
A Pattern of Anti-Protest Sentiment in the College
Multiple students The Quint spoke to, complained of a "persistent anti-protest sentiment" in Maitreyi College.
“The administration or union won’t speak up for anything or stand with anything, which we can still accept to an extent, but they won’t let others do it either. It is our right to protest, but somehow here it is not.” expressed Drishti.
Students told The Quint that on 30 September, as Chief Minister Rekha Gupta was set to be the chief guest at the college's anniversary and freshers’ festival, many students prepared to raise their concerns and demands before the CM, following the Kalkaji rape case and the Satya Niketan collapse.
On this, Drishti said, “They did a last-minute address by Principal Ma’am on 28 September. She repeatedly told students not to protest, blaming them for ruining the college’s reputation. She then said that if we really wanted to protest, we could only do so after the Chief Minister’s visit on 30 September.”
In a notice circulated by the administration the day before the event, second- and third-year students were blocked from entering their own college. Multiple students reported being allowed inside only once the CM had left.
A student who wished to remain anonymous told The Quint, “How ironic is it that they first told us not to protest against rape and instead talk to them, and then they didn’t even let us meet or see the CM, who came here to address exactly those concerns? How do we feel safe when we are physically blocked from dialogue? Why does the majority of the college get to hear the CM’s speech in their own college only on Instagram?”
Bhavya also alleged ongoing intimidation of students who tried to organise a protest. “Even during the Satya Niketan collapse, students were repeatedly [told] to stay apolitical and not join any protests with any political organisation. The data that was collected from a Google Form after the collapse was used to question and pressurise students. Some were asked, ‘You don’t live in Satya Niketan, why didn’t you come to college?’”
However, despite claims of being 'apolitical', the College did host a 'Yuva Kumbh' marking 100 years of RSS.
Both Bhavya and Drishti, along with others who spoke to The Quint off the record reiterated the importance of bringing this to attention, despite fear of suspension or expulsion. "A lot of us come from conservative families, it is difficult for us to speak up but we are proud. We are also a women's college, we also deserve representation like LSR and Miranda and we sincerely hope things change." said Drishti.
The Quint reached out to the college administration for its response to the allegations made by the students. The Principal, Haritma Chopra stated that "All actions were taken to ensure safety of students". The administration refused to respond further on the case of double attendance or other allegations and stated that they wish to remain apolitical.