DU advises students to stay away from Jantar Mantar demonstration

The Delhi University on Thursday urged students not to participate in any “unlawful assemblies or demonstrations” at Jantar Mantar as they “may invite legal action”

The Delhi University on Thursday urged students not to participate in any “unlawful assemblies or demonstrations” at Jantar Mantar as they “may invite legal action”.

Earlier, on X, DU had asked for calm and urged students to focus on their studies. (HT Archive)

In a post on X, at 9.02pm, it said, “Dear students and faculty, your safety matters to us. Please note that any unlawful assemblies or demonstrations at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, which are strictly regulated as per the directives of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, may invite legal action.”

“Such activities can also pose serious risks to students’ personal safety and significantly impact their academic progress and professional opportunities. Accordingly, all students are urged to stay away from Jantar Mantar and to prioritise their safety and compliance with the law. Furthermore, you are advised to exercise caution as a significant amount of fake and misleading content is being created and circulated to fuel the situation,” it further said.

Earlier, speaking to HT, the DU registrar Registrar Vikas Gupta said “not many” of its students were participating in the ongoing stir and the protest would “not bring about any change”.

He was responding to queries over whether DU was asking students to not join the protest amid media reports. “Not many students from the University of Delhi are participating in the protest. The Vice-Chancellor has been appealing to students, saying that the protest will not bring about any change, it’s only the government’s action that will. The government is already on the front foot to take appropriate steps to address concerns of students,” he told HT.

Earlier, on X, DU had asked for calm and urged students to focus on their studies.

On July 21, the day after clashes between police and protesters at Jantar Mantar, it said, “We see the pain and anxiety of our students. It is unfortunate that vested interests are exploiting their fears instead of easing them. The need of the hour is to calm the situation and reduce their distress, so that they can focus on what truly matters: their studies and their future.”

A student at the DU faculty of law said she was not surprised by the comments. “Our VC tagged the common students of DU as urban naxals for raising their voices against fee hikes, the lack of women safety, and other issues. The VC and registrar have nothing to say about these actual issues.”

Expressing disappointment, a professor from the Dyal Singh College said, “This has consistently been happening in DU. They have completely aligned with the party at the Centre for the last few years…It is disappointing because the university should not be an apologist for the government, we should be answerable to students.”