DUSU election rolls out portal to report defacement on campus

To ensure a civilised DUSU election season this year, Delhi University has rolled out an online portal where not just students but anyone who spots defacement can report about it.

Before the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections, not just the North and South Campus but almost the entire city often faces defacement due to campaigners who go overboard. But that will no longer happen for now DU has rolled out an online portal where not just DU students but anyone who spots defacement can report about it.

Anyone who spots defacement on campus can report it through the online portal, following which the complaint will be investigated and appropriate action taken.

The defacement reporting portal has been launched before the elections to encourage everyone to flag violations, and action will be taken after the complaint is investigated. DU’s chief election officer Raj Kishore Sharma shares, “We really want to make the DUSU elections a civilised student election that does not cause inconvenience to anyone on campus or in the city. This portal is not just for DU students or those involved in the DUSU elections. Anyone who is not even related to the elections can report defacement if they face any issues because of it. For example, if there is a poster on the wall outside someone’s home or a shopkeeper is dealing with defacement, they can report it. We will investigate and action will be taken. Also, the names of those reporting will be kept completely anonymous.”

Khushbu Mishra, a second-year student of Kirori Mal College, says, “Though measures have been taken in the past to stop defacement, many times on campus we spot the supporters of candidates plastering the walls with posters etc and then run away. There is no one at that point to catch them red handed because if the authorities are not looking then they take advantage of the situation. But now, with this portal facility, anyone can click the picture or make videos of the wrongdoers who will be identified and taken to task. It’s good that there is something to instil fear and accountability in their minds.”

Adding to this, Digvijay Shankar, a final-year student of Ramjas College says the portal could also make students more mindful about their actions on campus. “During elections, our otherwise beautiful campus gets covered with posters and other campaign material and looks disgustingly dirty. I know of a helpline that was introduced to report such defacement but it isn’t easy to follow through. Now, candidates will think twice before defacing not just the campus but all public spaces, and will also give a platform to every student to speak up instead of just watching their campus turned into a dustbin!”