Bhagat Singh students’ union barred from organising events

Delhi University’s SBSEC restricts the Students’ Union from organizing events, citing safety and fund management after recent clashes during a fest.

Days after chaos unfolded at Delhi University’s Shaheed Bhagat Singh Evening College (SBSEC) annual fest, the college administration barred the Students’ Union from independently organising events, forming collaborations, or handling funds and sponsorships. The administration stated that such events will now be handled by the college’s cultural and functions committee which comprises a teacher as convenor and students as members. Students, however, said that these committees are largely controlled by teachers, with students having limited influence over decisions.

“These activities will be organised by the cultural committee, and functions committee of the college,” the notice added.

“Students’ Unions of the College shall not organise, conduct, or undertake any events, such as freshers’, welcome, or annual fests, independently or on behalf of the college, either within or on college premises. The union shall not be permitted to collect, mobilise, or handle any funds, sponsorships, or financial contributions for any event or activity conducted in the name of organising fest,” the notice dated April 27 stated. “These activities will be organised by the cultural committee, and functions committee of the college,” the notice added.

Earlier, on April 6, the annual cultural fest of SBSEC witnessed a clash between the administration and an artist after a dance and music performance by Faridabad-based artist Amandeep Mudhar was halted by a teacher over concerns about the artist’s attire. On the same day, a separate altercation broke out among a few students outside the campus, following which around 10 students were suspended.

“Whenever such events take place in colleges across DU, clashes among students are not uncommon. However, the administration should not use this as a reason to curtail our freedom to organise events. Moreover, cultural committees are often composed of students who align with the administration, making the representation seem more symbolic than genuinely participatory,” a student pursuing undergraduate degree from the college said.

Another 20-year-old student said, “For the fest, we were given a theme restricting performances to bhajan or Sufi songs, so it’s not as if these events take place without administrative oversight. Yet now, it feels like we’re back in school—first with strict attendance rules, and now with limitations on organising programmes of our choice”.

Defending the decision, the college principal, Arun Kumar Attree said the administration hasn’t prohibited any programme, only the role of student unions has been curtailed because we feel funds and safety in these events will be better managed if the management is involved.

“We have repeatedly encountered instances of internal clashes among student union members over events and discrepancies over sponsorship. Although this has been an ongoing issue, the recent incident during the fest highlighted the need to prioritise student safety, particularly for female students. As a result of the clash, around 10 students had to be suspended,” the principal said. “The primary role of the union is to raise issues that affect students. Whether it is deficiencies in the canteen, classroom infrastructure, sports facilities, or academic grievances, their efforts should be directed towards addressing these concerns rather than spending the entire year organising events,” the principal added.