Students at Delhi University’s Shaheed Bhagat Singh College (SBSC) are caught in a tussle with college authorities after a video showing a lizard emerging from a college water cooler popped up on social media. Students and faculty alike were taken aback at this video, with some youngsters turning memers and leaving comments like “Isko toh hogi 75% attendance?”, “Relax Bhai swimming shik rahi thi” and “Chipkali ki placement college mein hi ho gyi”.
Left with a rancid taste in their mouth, many students, like student union vice president Prem Phogat, have voiced their concerns against this serious health hazard. “The moment we saw this video, the union took immediate action. A cleaning drive was conducted, this cooler was disinfected, while others were inspected by the authorities,” says the second-year student of BA (Hons) Geography.
However, principal Arun Kumar Attree has a differing view. “That video is not recent at all; it was taken two years ago during the lockdown when thecollege was closed.” He believes that the video was uploaded by a few disgruntled students as a retaliation against him: “The resurfacing of the video is a malicious act by a few students who are upset that I am not allowing a celebrity performer on campus (for the cultural fest scheduled for April 29 and 30).”
{{/usCountry}}However, principal Arun Kumar Attree has a differing view. “That video is not recent at all; it was taken two years ago during the lockdown when thecollege was closed.” He believes that the video was uploaded by a few disgruntled students as a retaliation against him: “The resurfacing of the video is a malicious act by a few students who are upset that I am not allowing a celebrity performer on campus (for the cultural fest scheduled for April 29 and 30).”
{{/usCountry}}Students insist that the video highlighted an issue that would have otherwise been brushed under the carpet. A final-year student, on the condition of anonymity, tells us, “The water cooler is infamous for making whoever drinks from it sick. My peers have had typhoid after drinking water from that cooler. My friends and I give a wide berth to that cooler, we don’t fill our bottles there... As for it being an old video, someone would’ve recognised the footage if it had happened earlier. ”