AUD student fined ₹40k for defacing wall, told to attend anger mgmt classes

On March 9, the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) organised a protest on the Kashmere Gate campus of the university, demanding that classes be held in person. SFI-AUD convenor Priyansh Maurya was later suspended by the varsity administration for drawing graffiti on the campus walls.

A final-year undergraduate student of Ambedkar University Delhi (AUD) was on Friday fined nearly ₹40,000 by the varsity administration for “defacing” the walls of the campus during a protest last month, and has been advised to go for anger management counselling.

The Ambedkar University (Hindustan Times)

On March 9, the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) organised a protest on the Kashmere Gate campus of the university, demanding that classes be held in person. SFI-AUD convenor Priyansh Maurya was later suspended by the varsity administration for drawing graffiti on the campus walls.

Maurya, a history student, said he was shocked to receive the order. “..Making graffiti on the campus wall has been a culture of AUD…I completely deny that I drew the graffiti out of uncontrollable anger, for which the administration is referring me to the Ehsaas Clinic for anger management,” he said.

In its order, the university administration said the proctorial committee constituted to conduct an inquiry in the matter submitted its report and said Maurya “is required to pay a fine of ₹39,442 towards the cost of damage of the university property.” The administration has barred Maurya from the campus till he pays the fine, and also scrapped his registration for the winter semester.

“Maurya is advised to seek counselling at AUD Ehsaas Clinic for his anger management and submit a report verified by the centre of psychotherapy and clinical research school of human studies for the session attended by him before joining the 2021 monsoon semester,” the university said in its notice. They have also asked for an “apology letter through his parents.”

While the university administration claimed Maurya admitted that his actions were due to a “bout of uncontrollable anger”, the student denied it.

Elizabeth Alexander, another student of the varsity and an SFI member, said the order would require Maurya to repeat an entire year.

The university’s public relations officer said, “He has been found to have defaced the property of the university in the past as well. As his acts were in clear violation of the AUD’s code of discipline for students, he has been fined ₹40,000 which is commensurate with the 50% cost of repairing the defaced property.”