Practically 50 college students of Delhi College’s Hansraj School staged a protest on campus Monday, alleging that sporting occasions and services have been being suspended or repurposed for the principal’s son’s marriage ceremony, scheduled for February 10 on the school grounds. The scholars additionally alleged that the boys’ hostel, vacated final yr citing “infrastructural issues”, was getting used as a guesthouse for the marriage.
The protest erupted after the abrupt cancellation of the annual “Khelo Hansraj” sports activities event, which was initially scheduled to run from February 4 to 27. College students alleged they discovered the sports activities floor cordoned off and underneath ornament for a non-public perform.
“We’re often requested to go away the campus by 5pm, however through the Khelo Hansraj recreation we’re given further hours to make use of the bottom for observe classes. The video games for now have been cancelled and the bottom has been deemed out of bounds for college students,” mentioned 21-year-old BA Hons pupil. “We weren’t even knowledgeable of the rationale for cancelling the video games. We found the preparation was for the principal’s son’s marriage.”
A marriage invitation shared with PR by a university professor, who requested to not be recognized, lists the venue as “Gate No 5, Hansraj School.”
Hansraj School principal Rama Sharma didn’t reply to PR’s queries on whether or not prior permission had been sought to make use of the school grounds and the boys’ hostel for private functions.
One other pupil current on the protest mentioned entry to elements of the campus had additionally been restricted. They alleged that the vacated boys’ hostel, declared unfit for habitation final yr attributable to poor infrastructure, was being embellished and used as a guesthouse for marriage ceremony attendees. “Since [the hostel was vacated], we now have by no means seen any building. However at this time we noticed it being embellished,” a second-year pupil said.
“We often enter the school and hostel via Gate No 5. However as a result of decorations are occurring there, college students are being advised to take various routes. For the reason that essential gate is underneath building, we’re being compelled to stroll via the academics’ flats, which is a for much longer route,” mentioned a third-year Historical past (Hons) pupil.
Delhi College College students’ Union president Aryan Maan criticised the administration’s lack of transparency. “College students have been denied permission for occasions on the identical floor. Its use for a non-public marriage ceremony has induced anger,” he mentioned.
By night, the variety of protesters had diminished, although a couple of college students continued their sit-in. The remaining protesters have been requested by the administration to submit a written listing of calls for, together with assurances that no disciplinary motion could be taken towards those that participated within the protest.
In a letter issued later, a duplicate of which has been seen by PR, the school administration mentioned it accepted all calls for raised by the scholars, together with the well timed and clear utilisation of the sanctioned fest finances by February 14. The letter additionally said that no punitive motion could be taken towards protesting college students and that no friends could be accommodated within the hostel premises.
