Deploring the increase in vandalism by student leaders,a city court on Wednesday agreed to grant protection against arrest to Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) president Nupur Sharma,but with a rider. The court asked her to write to Delhi University officials condemning the episode in question: ransacking the Dean of Students Welfares (DSW) office on the North Campus on June 4. Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Surinder S Rathi also directed Sharma to submit an official note stating that DUSU did not approve of any criminal activity and destruction of university property. The court noted that though no constructive purpose would be attained by sending Sharma to jail,granting her anticipatory bail without any precondition would send a wrong message: that student leaders can get away with violence. On Saturday,a group of students,including Sharma,DUSU secretary Amit Choudhary and joint-secretary Ashish Gehlot had allegedly confronted Joint Dean Suman K Verma and Deputy Dean Seema N Parihar. They claimed the university had failed to provide drinking water on campus for students seeking admission. The FIR says besides ransacking the DSW office the group also pushed the joint dean and assaulted security guards who tried to intervene. ASJ Rathi said the present case could not be considered an isolated incident but is an indication of growing fetish of students to resort to violence. Sharma told Newsline: I was present but my role was limited to verbal argument with the officials. Moreover,being an ABVP member,Im not expected to have control over actions of other office-bearers and their supporters belonging to NSUI. The DUSU president said she will send the letter to DSW on Thursday.
