DDUC fest: Chaos erupts, Police takes charge during Mohit Chauhan's concert at Delhi University's college in Dwarka

Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College’s fest turned chaotic, forcing police to control the crowd hours before Mohit Chauhan’s performance

What was meant to be an evening of musical crescendo on day 2 of the annual cultural fest of Delhi University's Deen Dayal Upadhyay College, Kalrav, instead descended into hours of chaos and ruckus outside the campus in Dwarka Sector 3 on Friday.

Scenes from outside DDUC as Mohit Chauhan’s performance at the fest continued until around 10 pm. (Photos: Anurag Mehra/HT and Instagram)

With singer Mohit Chauhan scheduled to perform in the evening, thousands of students began gathering as early as 1pm. By early evening, the situation had escalated with barricades being used to seal the entrances, police personnel forming human chains, and loudspeaker announcements urging students to disperse as the campus was filled to its capacity. Videos circulating online show police compelled to use lathis to control the crowd as some attendees attempted to climb gates, bending frames and damaging property in the process.

Students alleged that despite prior registration, many were left stranded outside. Ronak Bharadwaj, a student of Kirori Mal College, said, “We were told to register and get QR codes for entry, which I had. But students without QR codes aggressively pushed ahead and somehow entered.”

“We were told to reach by 2pm, but got there at 1pm with our student IDs, yet could not enter,” said Bharati Nagar from Moti Lal Nehru College, adding, “The fest turned into a horrible experience.” As the crowd outside grew, their desperation flared. Riddhesh Sharma from Ramjas College described the situation, “Four of my friends got in, but I was stuck outside. I got anxious and jumped over a fence to enter. I had no other option.”

Over 170 personnel were deployed on ground. We requested students to disperse peacefully. But many were climbing barricades, getting aggressive and forcing themselves into the gates. Senior police official, Dwarka North Police Station

By the time Chauhan took the stage around 8pm, the crisis outside had still not eased, with clusters of students arguing with authorities and pleading for entry. A night meant for a celebratory concert turned chaotic, marked by tension, injuries, and near-stampede scenes. Our attempts to reach out to the college principal and Mohit Chauhan didn’t meet with any response till the time of going to the press.

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