17 Hansraj College students, 4 others booked for ‘violence’ during annual fest

Delhi Police registered an FIR against 21 individuals, including 17 students, for organized violence at Hansraj College's festival.

The Delhi Police on Friday registered an FIR against 21 people, including 17 Hansraj College students and four outsiders, based on a complaint by the college administration, alleging organised violence during its annual festival earlier this month, police said on Monday.

Hansraj college suspended 30 students. (Hansraj college/Linkedin)

The college administration also suspended around 30 students last week in connection with the violence.

On Monday, several students protested outside college gate No 2 against the suspension order and the FIR, demanding a rollback.

In its complaint dated April 13, the college administration alleged that on April 9, a group of “approximately 50-60 individuals, including internal students and several outsiders,” formed an unlawful assembly and entered the campus with the intent to “create disturbance and cause harm.”

According to the complaint, the group was armed with “unauthorised weapons, such as knives and other sharp objects” and “brutally assaulted a college student, causing serious injuries and bleeding.”

The administration said the violence triggered panic on campus and disrupted public order. It also noted that the present complaint continued earlier written submissions received by the college. These submissions included one from a student, Vibhor Bhatia, who reported a “life-threatening armed assault,” and another from a college faculty member, Dr Jitendra Nagar, who alleged a violent attack on his son.

The complaint further raised concerns over the festival’s organisation, stating that “the said office bearers undertook responsibility for organising and managing the event,” but “lapses in crowd management, unauthorised entry, and failure of supervision indicate serious negligence.”

The college administration added that the incident “was pre-planned, organised, and involved armed individuals, thereby necessitating immediate criminal investigation.”

Police said the 17 college students named in the FIR include four students’ union office bearers. “We have asked the four members to join the probe. Others will be called later,” a police officer said.

The rift between the administration and a section of students, including the elected union, began days before the April 8-9 annual fest over the invitation of an artist to the event. While the administration cited crowd control concerns, students said the restriction was “unnecessary.”

Permission was later granted on the condition that the union would manage the crowd. During the fest, a clash between Hansraj College students and students from other DU colleges turned violent. Two days later, another altercation occurred after outsiders entered the campus, according to the college administration.

Following this, a disciplinary committee was formed, leading to the suspension of over 22 students, including 18 allegedly involved in the clashes and four union office-bearers for lack of accountability. Protests against the action led to the suspension of around seven more students on disciplinary grounds.

The college administration has scheduled a meeting with suspended students on Tuesday to take a final call on whether the suspension will be lifted or upheld following a mediation by DUSU president Aryan Maan on Monday.

One of the suspended union members, requesting anonymity, told HT on Monday: “We took responsibility to manage the crowd during the fest, but that does not mean others — including teaching and non-teaching staff, security personnel, and the police — were absolved of their duties. When the situation turned violent, we requested police intervention, but one of the personnel told us they could not act unless directed by the administration.”

Protesting the college’s disciplinary action, several students held placards reading “arbitrary suspensions must be revoked,” and called for the withdrawal of the suspension orders, terming them “against” campus democracy.

A protester, an undergraduate history student, told HT on the condition of anonymity that the college principal made “misogynistic” remarks, saying that their presence outside late at night with male students reflected poorly on their family values.

Responding to the allegation, principal Rama Sharma told HT that the students were part of a 20-hour protest and four staff members asked them to move inside over safety concerns at night, but they did not comply.

She added that students have the right to dissent and protest, but the college has a zero-tolerance policy for violence on campus.

“After a 20-hour protest, the college permitted the student’s union to invite an artist, subject to strict conditions on crowd management and safety. However, when a clash broke out, the administration moved to take action. It set up a disciplinary committee and conducted a detailed review of CCTV footage. Based on the findings, several students were suspended, and a police complaint was filed against those involved, including students from Hansraj College and other colleges,” Sharma said.