Delhi: Ambedkar University student protest enters 7th day over ‘iron cage’ security restrictions

New Delhi, Oct 4 (SocialNews.XYZ) The protest by students of Ambedkar University Delhi against restrictions on movement and tighter security measures on campus entered its seventh day on Saturday.

The agitation, led by the Left-backed All India Students’ Association (AISA), is centred on stricter checks at the campus gates and other restrictions on students’ movement.

The protesters have described the new security arrangements as an “iron cage” and “aggressive barricading”, alleging that the measures have curtailed their freedom of movement on campus.

The situation reportedly escalated late Friday night after protesting students alleged that security personnel stopped them from taking food and drinking water inside the campus.

AISA also alleged that one of the protesting students collapsed at around 3 a.m. and that the university administration delayed his medical evacuation by preventing an ambulance and police vehicles from entering the campus.

The university, however, said that its medical team was monitoring the health of all students participating in the protest and was keeping a watch on their condition.

The student organisation further alleged that the administration closed the campus to students on Saturday, as a result of which some students were unable to attend their scheduled classes and examinations.

According to AISA, the university cited maintenance work at the library and computer laboratories as the reason for the closure, while the student body claimed that no such maintenance activity was actually taking place at the locations.

The university maintained that the library, laboratories and some other blocks had been closed as part of maintenance and safety measures, adding that students had been informed about the decision in advance.

“The measure is purely for safety and maintenance reasons,” the university’s public relations office said in a statement.

The administration also said the ongoing sit-in protest was being conducted without its permission. It maintained that a designated location had already been provided for students to hold peaceful protests, but the agitators were instead sitting near the library and classrooms, thereby affecting other students on campus.

The university further alleged that some students had “manhandled” security guards, saying the matter had already been brought to the attention of the Delhi Police for necessary action.

According to the administration, the security personnel had not initiated any action on their own and were carrying out their responsibilities in accordance with established security protocols.

AISA, meanwhile, has continued to demand the removal of what it calls the “iron cages”, along with internal barricades and other physical barriers installed on the campus.

The students have also called for the restoration of what they describe as campus democracy, accountability over the alleged obstruction of emergency medical access and direct negotiations between the protesting students and the university administration.

Another key demand of the protesting students is unrestricted access to the campus for all registered students, without the additional restrictions that they say have been imposed under the current security arrangements.

The university said it was engaged in dialogue with the protesting students and had already responded to all “permissible and legitimate demands” raised by them.

The administration also appealed to students to maintain peace on the campus and refrain from spreading misinformation amid the ongoing protest and allegations from both sides.

AISA has meanwhile appealed to civil society groups, legal rights organisations and human rights bodies to intervene in the matter and seek accountability from the university administration over the issues raised by the protesting students.

Source: IANS