NEW DELHI: Five months after being suspended for allegedly speaking out against ragging, five elected student representatives at Ambedkar University Delhi (AUD) — three postgraduates and a PhD scholar — have now been expelled.
The move has sparked fresh protests on campus, with student leaders demanding that the administration explain what they call an “arbitrary” decision. The expelled students have also announced plans to challenge the order in the Delhi HC.
Meanwhile, students led by SFI Delhi protested in front of the residence of Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, who is also the Chancellor of AUD, on Monday afternoon, demanding that he address the alleged arbitrary expulsions.
The students — Sharanya (AUD Student Council Treasurer), Shubhojeet (AUD Student Council Councillor), and Shefali (SFI Delhi State Committee Member) — have been expelled, while two others, Ajay and Keerthana, have been debarred. Previously, Nadia, a State Committee Member pursuing her master’s, was also served an expulsion notice.
“The five of us were originally suspended for speaking against an instance of ragging, which had nearly led to a student’s suicide at AUD. The administration has taken alarmingly unreasonable action against us, even though we were merely seeking help from the institution to adequately address the situation,” said Shubhojeet, an AUDSC councillor and PhD scholar.
“Despite orders from the Delhi High Court for the university to follow due process and conduct hearings, the administration has continued its tirade of disproportionate mob justice. In the course of seeking justice, women students have reportedly faced physical assaults and groping at the hands of the administration,” said Sharanya, AUDSC Treasurer.
None of the AUD officials were available for comment.