Dyal Singh Evening College name change row: staff body intensifies protests, demands urgent meeting

The staff association of Delhi University's Dyal Singh Evening College held a fresh dharna on Tuesday, after a scheduled staff council meeting to discuss the proposed name change of the institute was not convened. The protesters urged the college administration to convene the staff council meeting immediately. Earlier, the college's principal had written to Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh, seeking directions to hold a staff council meeting, one day ahead of the university's Executive Council meeting. However, the protesting staff association termed it a ''delaying tactic''. ''The staff council is a statutory body of the college, as per the provided provisions. It serves a similar purpose for the college as the Executive Council (EC) serves for the university. So the college does not need to seek directions to call a meeting for the council,'' a college professor who was part of the protest said, requesting anonymity. ''This is a way to delay calling a meeting. We will continue the dharna on Wednesday as well, as the staff council meeting is scheduled to happen on Wednesday,'' the professor added. The professor also expressed apprehension that a last-minute discussion on the name change might still be done at the Executive Council meeting, despite the agenda item being absent. The demonstration comes amidst opposition to the vice chancellor's announcement in December 2025 about the possibility of renaming the evening college after Sikh warrior Banda Singh Bahadur. It is currently named after Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a 19th-century philanthropist, educationist, and social reformer. On April 23, the college's staff association submitted a memorandum, reiterating that despite repeated requests to convene a meeting, the college administration did not heed their requests. The following day, the college principal sent a letter to the vice chancellor, seeking directions to convene a staff council meeting. The movement has received support from members of the Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) and the elected members of the Academic Council (AC).

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