Around 15 students of Delhi University's Hindu College have been rusticated and action against three more is underway with charges of "indiscipline" during the college union elections. Hindu College Principal Prof Anju Srivastava said the action has been taken on the recommendations of the college's Disciplinary Resource Committee which has found the involvement of these students in disruption during the college elections. "Students are rusticated for a finite period based on their level of involvement in the hindrance," he said.
In an e-mail dated October 27, the Disciplinary Resource Committee of the college informed students that it had noticed "gross indiscipline" on their part during September 15-18 when elections for the students' union in the college were conducted.
The committee in its e-mail cited its October 16 meeting with the students during which it showed them photos and videos of their "involvement" in the alleged incidents. "... The committee has found that your conduct during September 15-18 falls in the act of gross indiscipline (sic)," the letter read.
Students of Hindu College had in September staged a hunger strike over the rejection of 30 student nominations for the positions of 'prime minister' and central councillors at the college. At Hindu College, the head of the students' union is referred to as 'prime minister' instead of president.
The college had cited low attendance as the reason for the cancellation of the nominations and ordered an inquiry after the matter escalated and required police action.
"The college did not consider our attendance in practicals and only took into consideration the attendance in theory classes. We demanded the administration to issue a notice releasing our attendance," one of the students, who has been rusticated, said on condition of anonymity.
According to the eligibility criteria for students contending for union polls laid down by the Lyngdoh Committee, students must have a minimum of 75 per cent attendance. "Around 15 students have been rusticated for their involvement in the disruption caused during elections and inquiry on three others is under process. A maximum of four months rustication has been given by the disciplinary committee," DRC committee head, Rameshwar Rai, said.
The students have been rusticated on counts of indiscipline, destruction of institutional property, and disruption of academic functioning. The rusticated students have been asked to submit an undertaking in an affidavit stating they will not get involved in any such activities in future.
