NEW DELHI: Delhi University (DU) has issued a notification stating that prior intimation of gatherings, protests or demonstrations anywhere in the varsity will be mandatory.
In the notification, DU proctor Rajni Abbi said, “Although protests or demonstrations are the legal right of every individual, yet prior permission from the proctor’s office is mandatory.”
Apart from details of the organisers, the university has also sought information pertaining to the details of the programme, duration, use of logistics, list of speakers and expected number of participants. The organisers will also have to provide information on the “nature of the programme” and whether it will be a protest, public speech, dharna, rally or GBM and so on.
The varsity has warned of strict action against the organisers in case there is any damage to property or destruction. “It is also directed that the participants shall refrain from using violence and any destruction to public property, failing which the organisers will be held responsible for any damage and strict action will be taken,” the notification said.
Stating that authorities can be informed but permission cannot be sought, Akshit Dahiya, president of the DU Students’ Union, said, “DUSU always gives prior information about what the event is going to be held. But for a protest, seeking information is not something that is right. The notification itself states that it is our right to protest, which is obviously the case. We can surely inform them but cannot take permission.”
Miranda House professor Abha Dev Habib added, “Over time, people have started staging protests on the streets because holding any event inside university spaces costs money. One thing that the university needs to understand is that they need to maintain law and order for which they can take help from the police. But to bottle up agitations or disallow them does not help. Protests are important and that is what creates a university space. It is one thing to say that 'inform us', but to say that 'seek permission' is uncalled for.”
Speaking to TOI, Abbi, however, said, “The problem is that nobody takes permission from Delhi Police nor do they inform us. A few days back, we got to know that a student has been on a hunger strike for the past four days. We didn’t even know about it earlier and what if something happened? We will never refuse any permission, but we should at least know about them. It is required for the safety of students themselves.”
