AUD extends suspension of 5 students citing FIR; SFI slams move as targeting dissent

Dr BR Ambedkar University Delhi (AUD) has extended the suspension of five students, citing an ongoing disciplinary inquiry linked to an April 11 incident involving alleged public obstruction and damage to government property. The move has prompted backlash from the Students' Federation of India (SFI), which has termed the move arbitrary and aimed at crushing student activism.

An FIR dated April 29, filed by the university's Deputy Registrar (Estate) at the Kashmere Gate Police Station, accuses the students of ''unauthorizedly restraining movement of the Senior Government Officials, Vice Chancellor and Registrar by locking the main gate.'' The complaint states that the students ''created hindrance in the passage and didn't allow the cars of the Officials to enter and exit,'' and alleges that they ''damaged government vehicles'' and ''assaulted the security staff on duty.'' The FIR also notes: ''These students blocked the passage and didn't allow the vehicle by laying prostrate in front of the vehicle preventing a public servant from performing official duties,'' and includes names of five students who are part of the SFI.

Based on the complaint and CCTV evidence, the police registered the FIR under Sections 126(2), 221, 132(3), and 132(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. Section 126(2) deals with wrongful restraint, Section 221 with obstructing public servants, and Section 132 covers assault or criminal force against public servants.

In an official statement issued on Wednesday, the university said that while the students were conditionally allowed to appear for their Winter Semester 2025 examinations ''solely in the interest of preventing irreparable academic loss,'' the suspension has now been extended ''pending the outcome of the ongoing inquiry and investigation.'' The Left-backed student organisation, however, has termed the suspension a ''selective targeting'' of its members and an attempt to stifle student protest. ''The administration has failed to complete the inquiry process for more than two months. The students remain suspended without due process,'' the SFI said in a statement.

''They were made to appear for crucial exams within 10 days without attending classes for over a month. Stipends and scholarships were also withheld,'' the statement added, accusing the university of showing disregard for the students' academic future.

The SFI further stated that the initial re-entry of the students in May was not granted voluntarily by the administration but was the result of a sustained protest campaign, including a hunger strike and a sit-in.

Calling the move an ''attack on campus democracy,'' SFI said it would challenge the suspensions both politically and legally, warning that ''this unprecedented repression has to be fought tooth-and-nail, or else all student dissent will be criminalised.'' The university maintains it is committed to a ''safe and accountable campus culture'' and has reiterated its zero-tolerance policy toward indiscipline.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)