On the final day of campaigning for the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections, tensions escalated at Delhi University’s Law Centre-1, resulting in injuries to several students. The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) reported that the conflict began outside Law Centre-1 following a dispute over the removal of campaign banners. The incident left three ABVP members injured, with two sustaining head injuries and one suffering a fractured hand.
Delhi Police’s Deputy Commissioner (North), Niharika Bhatt, characterized the incident as a minor verbal altercation that escalated into a physical scuffle between two student factions at approximately 5 PM. Sources indicate that the unrest also affected Umang Bhawan and the nearby Campus Law Centre, prompting heavy police barricading extending from Kirori Mal College to Chhatra Marg. As a precautionary measure, the old Faculty of Law premises were evacuated.
Further allegations from ABVP included claims of a “life-threatening attack” on one of its members outside Law Centre-1, purportedly involving individuals associated with the Congress, the Indian Youth Congress, and the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI).
These clashes coincided with a Delhi High Court ruling on a plea regarding the ongoing DUSU election process, which challenged alleged political party interference. The Court ruled that association with a political party’s student wing does not automatically disqualify a candidate, but cautioned university and election authorities to ensure that elections remain free from external political influence.
An interim application in the case of Prashant Manchanda v Union of India and Ors., linked to the violence on Wednesday, is scheduled for an urgent hearing before the Delhi High Court at 2:30 PM today.
