Ambedkar University row: Protest enters day 7 over gate restrictions
The protest by students of Ambedkar University against campus restrictions entered its seventh day on Saturday with a continuing impasse.
The protest, led by the Left-backed AISA, is against the stricter checks at the gate, which they called an “iron cage”, an “aggressive barricading”, and other restrictions on movement on the campus.
The situation escalated late Friday night after students alleged that security personnel barred them from bringing food and water inside. The All India Students’ Association (AISA) also alleged that a student collapsed around 3 am and the administration delayed his medical evacuation by preventing an ambulance and police vehicles from entering the campus.
The university said its medical team was monitoring the health of all protesting students.
AISA alleged that the administration shut the campus to students on Saturday, preventing some students from attending classes and examinations. It claimed that the closure was announced on the pretext of maintenance work at the library and computer laboratories, but no such work is underway.
The university maintained that the library, laboratories and certain other blocks had been closed for maintenance and safety purposes and that students were informed about the measure in advance.
“The measure is purely for safety and maintenance reasons,” the university’s public relations office said in a statement.
The administration also said that the sit-in was being held without its permission. It said the university has already designated a place for peaceful protests, but the agitators have been sitting close to the library and classrooms, affecting other students.
The university also said students “manhandled” security guards - a matter that is already with the Delhi Police.
It said security personnel did not initiate any action on their own and were performing their duties according to standard security protocols.
The student outfit has demanded the removal of the “iron cages”, internal barricades and other physical barriers.
The restoration of what it described as campus democracy, accountability for alleged obstruction of emergency medical access, and direct negotiations are part of its charter of demands.
The students have demanded unrestricted campus access for all registered students.
The university said the administration is in dialogue with the protesting students and has responded to all “permissible and legitimate demands.”
The administration has appealed to students to maintain peace and not spread misinformation.
AISA has appealed to civil society groups, legal rights organisations and human rights bodies to intervene in the matter and seek accountability from the university administration.
