Kamal Ghorui
New Delhi: Students in two of Delhi University women’s colleges — Lady Shri Ram (LSR) and Indraprastha College for Women (IP College) — have raised concerns about the behaviour of their respective campus administrators.At LSR, students started protesting on Wednesday. A video appeared on BJP’s social media platform on April 13 in which principal Kanika K. Ahuja was seen speaking on the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam or women’s reservation bill.A meeting took place between students and the administration to address their concerns on Friday. Earlier, protesting students gathered at the college gate, many covering their faces with scarves and masks, alleging fear of administrative action.“Principal humse baat karo, hamari maange poori karo (the principal must speak to us. She must fulfil our demands),” they shouted. The students demanded a dialogue. According to the protesters, the principal briefly addressed them on Thursday but left without fully hearing them out.The students said that the protest was not against the bill, but against the principal appearing on a political party’s platform. They said the college has long upheld an apolitical stance — including staying out of DUSU elections — and has in the past cancelled events featuring Left-leaning speakers, citing the same principle. Against this backdrop, they questioned the endorsement.In a statement, they said, “LSR as an institution consistently positions itself as ‘apolitical’… In this context, the appearance of the principal on a political party’s official platform represents a clear contradiction.”*They added that regardless of how the content was framed, “the platform on which it was delivered is explicitly political.”The students alleged that the college administration has been attempting to identify protesters and contacting their parents since the demonstrations began. They also claimed they were asked to send a smaller representative group for discussions, which they declined, fearing being singled out.Their demands include a clarification from the college, distancing the institution from the political content, removal of the video, assurance against punitive action, and a commitment to non-partisan engagement on campus.Ahuja told TOI that her remarks were made in a personal capacity and were not intended as an institutional endorsement. “My comments in the video were on the women’s reservation bill. As a woman myself championing the cause of women, I believe that the participation of women in public life is very important. Diversity is not symbolism, it improves the quality of decision making,” she said. The video was shot by the ministry of women and child development for a function at Vigyan Bhawan, she added.At IP College, protests largely centred around the alleged cancellation of the graduation dinner and farewell for third-year students who have opted out of Delhi University’s Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP). Students claimed they were informed that these would instead be organised for fourth-year students, alleging that they were being pressured to opt in. Teachers aware of the development denied any such compulsion.Students were also protesting over infrastructure issues, food quality in the canteen, and other broader concerns affecting campus life.The protest was led by ABVP outside the college gate. Its member Mitravinda Karanwal said she received representations from students through DUSU and reached the campus thereafter. “The gates were locked and even students were not allowed entry. After we began protesting, the principal addressed the students and a delegation met her to submit demands,” she said.Meanwhile, a clash was reported at another women’s college of Delhi University on Friday during student council elections. Left-affiliated groups in Gagri College alleged that members linked to ABVP forcibly entered the campus and engaged in intimidation and harassment. ABVP, however, raised concerns over the transparency of the election process.Protests were held around 30 DU colleges on Friday to highlight student concerns, ABVP said.According to college teachers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the administration has maintained that opting for the fourth year remains voluntary.
