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NEW DELHI: ‘Bol ke lab azaad hain tere,’ scribbled across a yellow chart paper, fought for space alongside a poster exhorting freshers to join the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. During the high-decibel Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) polls in Sept, the walls of democracy at North Campus gave opposing student parties the opportunity to stand neck-and-neck-at least on paper-and more. On Wednesday evening, however, when two women students affiliated with the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) attempted to paste posters opposing the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill near St. Stephen’s College, they were shocked to learn that the walls no longer ‘existed’. A video shows at least seven security staff stopping the duo. Only five months ago, Delhi University (DU) had notified guidelines against defacement of walls, especially during the student election season. It also asked departments and colleges to increase the size of these walls of democracy as much as possible at two notified locations. DU’s North and South Campuses have several such walls, typically marked with a university-installed board reading ‘Wall of Democracy’ for easy identification. Walls adjacent to St. Stephen’s College, near the Faculty of Arts, and opposite Daulat Ram College were among those officially designated. During student elections, anti-defacement committees were set up to ensure that posters were pasted only on these walls. Outside election periods, students have also used them to display posters related to protests, meetings and political or social issues. In a social media post, the student body alleged that the guards tore down the posters and verbally informed them of the university’s decision. Students also claimed that the boards identifying these walls were removed without prior notice. DU proctor Manoj Kumar on Thursday confirmed that the walls had been denotified. He, however, did not provide any reason for the decision or indicate whether it had been communicated to students. He also did not clarify whether colleges had been asked to follow suit. A college principal said no one had asked them to follow in the university’s footsteps, so far. The organisation submitted a complaint to the proctor’s office on Thursday, demanding the immediate reinstatement of the walls. In its complaint, the SFI said the removal was carried out without any consultation with students or student organisations. It added that the walls have historically served as an important democratic space for students to express opinions and engage in political and social dialogue within the university. Calling the move an attempt to stifle democratic expression, students said the shrinking of such spaces undermines the democratic character of DU.
