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

The university issued the statement after a purported video showed guards stopping two SFI students from pasting posters on one such wall.

DU issues statement after claims that its 'walls of democracy' have been removed

The “walls of democracy” are clearly marked boards near locations such as the Faculty of Arts, St Stephen’s College and Daulat Ram College. Archive

By: Express News Service

3 min readNew DelhiJan 9, 2026 05:44 PM IST First published on: Jan 9, 2026 at 04:54 PM IST

After Delhi University students alleged that the varsity removed the designated “walls of democracy” on campus, the university administration Friday said the spaces remain intact and that more such walls will be created across campuses during the next student election cycle.

DU Registrar Vikas Gupta told The Indian Express that the administration had not dismantled the walls and that a temporary restriction on pasting posters was meant only to allow for cleaning and maintenance.

Gupta’s statement followed protests by student groups after a video circulating on social media showed security personnel stopping two women students affiliated with the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) from pasting posters near St Stephen’s College. The students, who were opposing the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, claimed the guards informed them that the “walls of democracy” had been removed.

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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.