DU’s ‘walls of democracy’ not removed: Varsity after claims by student bodies

Registrar Gupta said, “The wall of democracy is going to stay intact. It is not being removed under any circumstances. We’ve only stopped students from pasting posters for the time being as the wall was getting full and we wanted to clean it.”

“In fact, DU will come up with more walls and create more designated spaces across campus during election time for students to paste posters… and to ensure no defacement happens on campus,” he added.

Traditionally, the “walls of democracy”, clearly marked boards near locations such as the Faculty of Arts, St Stephen’s College and Daulat Ram College, have served as physical spaces for political expression on a campus that’s otherwise tightly regulated. Outside election periods, students have used these walls to announce protests, meetings and campaigns on academic and social issues.

The latest episode triggered sharp criticism from student organisations, which alleged that the boards identifying the walls had been taken down without notice and that the decision marked a shrinking of democratic spaces on campus. The SFI later submitted a written memorandum to the university’s proctorial office regarding the matter.

Joint Proctor Manoj Kumar Singh acknowledged confusion surrounding the incident but denied that the university had withdrawn the facility. “There was some miscommunication earlier,” Singh said. “The administration has not removed any wall of democracy. It is intact and will be intact.”

When asked about the conduct of the security staff seen in the video, Gaje Singh Dahiya, Chief Security Officer at DU, said the administration was examining the matter. “We are looking into it and will be taking action against the security officers if they acted in an inappropriate manner,” the official said, adding that the complaint submitted by students was also under review.

The controversy comes months after the university reiterated guidelines on preventing defacement during the DU Students’ Union (DUSU) elections, while simultaneously directing colleges and departments to expand designated poster spaces.