Savarkar, Bose, Bhagat Singh busts still up, ABVP distances itself from DUSU president

However, she did not specify the nature of the action being considered or whether Singh and the union will be asked to remove the pillar.

“Obviously, what has happened is not good. Students can’t just take matters into their own hands like this, and there has been some kind of security lapse. We are trying to understand how to deal with this, as these are students who are acknowledging that they have done something wrong, and are saying that they have done it anyway,” Sehgal said.

“Moreover, students’ union elections are just around the corner (September 12), and we do not want anything to precipitate because of this. We have new students on the campus, and we want peace and safety for them,” she added.

ABVP state secretary Siddharth Yadav himself criticised the move by Singh and DUSU.

“…ABVP is of the clear view that the busts should be installed in Delhi University campus only with the permission of the administration and other authorities concerned… the busts should be kept in the DUSU office till the permission is granted…” read a statement by him.

However, the DUSU office was sealed on Wednesday, with the outgoing union’s term coming to an end.

Asked if they would move the statue following criticism from the organisation’s leadership, DUSU president Shakti Singh said they were trying “discuss” with the university, but expressed no intention of immediately moving the pillar.

“We are trying to get the university’s permission to install the busts in the DUSU office instead. We will put the pillar anywhere on the campus where the university grants us permission,” Singh said.

The North Delhi Municipal Corporation, meanwhile, said the matter does not come under their jurisdiction.

“Our officers checked the site to determine the status of the land. It is not under our jurisdiction, since it falls within the university gardens,” said North civic body commissioner Varsha Joshi.