Around 11 Delhi University students, protesting against the debarment of two students for attempting to screen the BBC documentary on the Prime Minister in January, were removed Friday from the Arts Faculty. The protest was staged by AISA’s DU unit. DCP (North) Sagar Singh Kalsi told The Indian Express, “On the request of DU authorities, around 11 students, nine men and two women, have been removed from near the Vivekananda statue, Arts Faculty, to maintain peace. Reportedly, they were gathering there to protest in support of some students who were expelled due to indiscipline. No FIR has been registered as of now in this regard.” Anjali, AISA DU unit’s secretary, alleged: “We were about to start our indefinite sit-in protest against the undemocratic way in which the two students were barred by the DU administration. when police detained many students.” Speaking to The Indian Express, DU Proctor Rajni Abbi said, “I have issued a notification which says that to hold any kind of demonstration or protest, anywhere, students are required to take permission from us. They are allowed to hold any form of protest, but they do not take permission beforehand. Some of them are not even DU students. So when we get information that a group has gathered somewhere on campus, we inform police to avoid any kind of violence.” The screening was organised on January 27 by students’ groups such as the National Students’ Union of India and the Bhim Army Student Federation. Some of the students were detained by police from the spot, and their details were collected by the university from the FIR. A committee formed by DU to look into the incident had barred two students for a year and recommended punishment against six others. In another incident, a group of students associated with NREGA Sangarah Morcha alleged that police “abruptly stopped” a peaceful meeting at Arts Faculty that had economist Jean Dreze in attendance. DCP Kalsi told The Indian Express, “We received information that there’s apprehension of breach of peace and tranquility in the area. The university authorities had intimated the same. These protestors were peacefully removed from the place. The situation was normal after that.” Police said no FIR has been filed and no one has been detained. Dreze said: “This happened after another set of students had already held their protest and had been detained. We had cooperated with police’s request not to use a mike. After that, there was really no reason to disperse the meeting.”
