Cow dung smeared on DUSU president's office; fresh standoff breaks out between ABVP, NSUI
A fresh standoff broke out between the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on Monday after the walls of the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) president's office were found smeared with cow dung.
Speaking to The Indian Express, DUSU president Ronak Khatri alleged that the act was carried out by Rishabh Chaudhary, the ABVP presidential candidate in the 2024-25 student election. 'I did not go to the office today because of my exams. I was told by my peers that they saw Chaudhary outside the DUSU office, and the incident reportedly took place around 1.30 pm,' Khatri, an NSUI leader, said.
Speaking with The Indian Express, Chaudhary clarified that the act was done in his capacity but claimed the ABVP 'stands with him'. 'Khatri did something similar in the office of a DU college principal, despite her claiming it was for experimental purposes. We need to teach such people a lesson by doing the same things they do to others.'
He added, 'The sad part is that he has been demeaning the use of cow dung and cow urine in a country like India and has been filling the brains of students as if it is a bad thing. But it's not.'
However, when reached for comment, Harsh Attri, ABVP's national media convenor, said, 'I have no comment on whether ABVP stands with Chaudhary's act or not. But Khatri's actions have been displeasing among many students on campus, and there is going to be retaliation from the DU student community,' Attri said.
The incident comes weeks after a similar controversy erupted at Delhi's Lakshmibai College, where cow dung was applied on the walls of a classroom by Principal Suman Sharma. Later, Khatri, in retaliation, smeared the cow dung on the principal's office.
Principal Suman Sharma had claimed that the act was 'experimental' and aimed at exploring the natural cooling properties of cow dung amid Delhi's extreme summer temperatures.
Photographs and videos from that incident sparked outrage online, with many calling it unscientific and unsanitary. Sharma, however, defended the move, claiming it was 'part of Indian traditional knowledge.'
The fresh standoff between the student bodies came following a controversy surrounding Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's visit to the campus last week. Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, had visited the Delhi University to interact with students from Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and Other Backward Class (OBC) communities.
According to the university proctor's office, the visit was conducted without prior permission and disrupted student governance operations. 'Rahul Gandhi has done this for the second time… coming to the university without any intimation and information,' the office said in an official statement.
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