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DTU authorities condemn violence in any form

After over a month long students’ agitation, the normalcy had returned to campus of Delhi Technological University (DTU), formerly Delhi College of Engineering (DCE) and classes were going on in full-swing for all semesters. Realizing this and after trying their best to disrupt classes and continue with their agitation, the agitating student leaders unsuccessfully attempted to pull out and involve students in their agitation and restored to violence yesterday. During the day on April 20, 2010, they pulled out two students Vivek and Shobhraj Meena out of their hostels, took them outside the University campus and badly beat them up. Both the students have lodged their complaint with the University authorities as well as with the local police.

As if it was not enough, the agitating leaders including Mr. Ravishekhar, Mr. Nitin Baraiya, Mr. Ashish Gupta, Mr. Pankaj Mishra, Mr. Sashikant Lodhi and few others, went outside the University campus late at night and got into a quarrel with some unknown persons at a nearby dhaba. They were beaten up in the fight that ensued, in which some of them sustained injuries and have been hospitalized. There was no incidence of violence within the University campus last night or during the day.

Around midnight, the agitating students returned to the campus and raised slogans in foul language, near the Vice Chancellor’s residence. They also tried to force their way into the Girls Hostel to get the girl students out of hostels and make them join them in their protest but were prevented from doing so by the security guards. Today morning, the agitating leaders tried to stop the students at main entrance and prevent them from attending classes. They then forced their way into the Administration Block and created a scene by raising filthy slogans and tarnishing the image of the University authorities. The University authorities pacified them with great difficulty and informed that local police needs to be approached to register their complaint for the act of violence outside the campus. The local police has assured full cooperation in identifying the guilty. The University has also ordered an independent inquiry by Additional District Magistrate to investigate the act of violence which took place outside the campus yesterday.

It is ironical that despite having met their genuine demands including rotation of HoDs, initiating of process for appointment of Pro Vice Chancellor and other officers of the University, increase in timings for accessing facilities at library and computer centre till 11 pm and 10 pm respectively, and also attending the emergent maintenance problem in the hostels, the agitating leaders are hell-bent on disrupting the peace and harmony of the University. They are not realizing that the student community has already lost almost one-and-a-half month of their students as well as opportunity to appear for their mid-semester exams.

The allegations made by the agitating students against the University authorities are utterly false and fabricated and aimed at tarnishing the image of the University. The DTU administration strongly condemns the act of violence, which occurred outside campus and pleads to all the students of the University to maintain their calm and composure and peace within the University campus.