DUTA urges DU to withdraw month-long ban on protests
The Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) urged the university administration to revisit its order imposing a month-long ban on public meetings, processions and protests on campus, calling the move undesirable.
Delhi University (DU) announced the ban, citing concerns over obstruction of traffic, threats to safety and disturbance of public peace on Tuesday. DUTA, in a letter to the registrar, said such a comprehensive restriction had “never been imposed in the history of Delhi University”.
The teachers’ association also flagged the impact on scheduled programmes in the coming month, including the DU Flower Show, annual cultural festivals, awareness programmes and Holi Milan events.
“To put a ban on such cultural events is unacceptable. The university should exempt this category of sociocultural events from the purview of this order,” the letter dated February 17 said.
While acknowledging that maintaining peace and harmony during public gatherings is desirable, the teachers’ body said, “A total ban on open public activities is totally undesirable,” and asked the university to reconsider the decision.
Meanwhile, a few DU colleges have postponed their programmes without giving any concrete reasons. Senior officials of Ramanujam College in the south campus confirmed that their annual programme has been postponed.
