Dung to disorder: DU politics gets messy
New Delhi: Tensions flared on Delhi University's North Campus on Monday after members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) allegedly smeared cow dung on the walls of the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) president's meeting room.
The act, widely condemned by student leaders, has further escalated tensions within the university's student community.
The protest was reportedly aimed at DUSU president Ronak Khatri, who denounced the act as a "deliberate provocation" and said he would be filing a police complaint.
The ABVP's actions appear to be a retaliatory response to a similar incident in April, when Khatri and a group of students defaced the principal's office and washroom at Lakshmibai College with cow dung.
That protest was reportedly against what Khatri described as "absurd and unscientific practices" promoted on campus, after a video circulated showing the college principal allegedly applying cow dung to classroom walls to reduce heat—a traditional method to reduce heat that ignited controversy.
ABVP representative Rishabh Chaudhary accused Khatri of manipulating student sentiment and abusing his position.
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"We waited outside the office for two hours before staging the protest. The DUSU president has repeatedly misrepresented facts to justify disruptive actions," he said. "At Lakshmibai College, the principal was conducting research into traditional practices, but Khatri twisted the narrative and defaced her office.
Similarly, he falsely claimed a protective glass screen was a barrier to student interaction, when it was simply there to safeguard electronic equipment.
These stunts have compromised the dignity of the university," Chaudhary said, adding, "Protest is our democratic right, and we will not back down until action is taken."
Khatri, in turn, dismissed the accusations as politically motivated and based on personal grudges. "No one was present in the office during the incident. This is not about policy—it's about personal animosity. I am taking the matter seriously and will be lodging a police complaint," he said.
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