Students stand in long queues to collect books from School Of Open Learning at North Campus in New Delhi. The officiating principal of Delhi University’s School of Open Learning (SOL) and activists of Left-wing students’ group Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS) Friday filed police complaints against each other, both alleging violence by the other party during protests on campus.
Both parties submitted their complaints at the Maurice Nagar police station, with the KYS claiming that one of its activists had fractured his arm during the incident. The Delhi Police said they received two cross complaints and are verifying the facts before taking any legal action.
The students were protesting at SOL over a range of issues including that SOL had not started offline classes (Academic Counselling Sessions) for students despite the overall campus reopening on Thursday. KYS also alleged that SOL was distributing “incomplete study material to only first-year students till March, while the exams are to begin in March itself”.
The altercation appears to have taken place inside the principal’s office when a KYS delegation went to submit its memorandum around 11 am on Friday.
In his complaint to police, SOL Officiating Principal U S Pandey said, “Some agitators entered the SOL building and misbehaved with female security guards and manhandled staff of SOL…. they threatened the SOL staff, and provoked other agitators to enter the premises…” He said “stern action” must be taken against them.
The KYS, meanwhile, alleged that the SOL administration “confined them in the building by locking the gates”.
The Democratic Teachers’ Front came out in support of KYS, condemning the “criminal attack on students”.
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