DUSU poll violence: Motilal Nehru College teachers on indefinite strike

Motilal Nehru College has indefinitely suspended teaching activities from Sept 23. The college's staff association is protesting alleged violence and assault against teachers during duty for the recent DUSU elections.

Motilal Nehru College Teachers on Indefinite Strike

Teaching and academic activities at Motilal Nehru College (Evening), University of Delhi, have been suspended indefinitely from September 23 following a protest by the college’s staff association against alleged violence against teachers during duty for the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections.

According to a resolution adopted by the Staff Association on September 22, the indefinite strike has been called in protest against alleged incidents of assault on teachers, hooliganism, defacement of public property and trespassing by unidentified students or outsiders during election duty on September 16.

The strike comes after an incident reported at the college on September 16, when campaigning for the DUSU elections ended. A teacher was allegedly assaulted by a student who was campaigning for the elections.

The college’s staff association has demanded the strongest possible action against those responsible for the alleged violence.

University Teachers' Federations Express Solidarity

Addressing teachers at the college on Thursday, Delhi University Teachers’ Federation (DTF) Secretary Abha Dev Habib and elected Executive Council member Mithuraaj Dhusiya strongly condemned the alleged incident and expressed solidarity with the faculty members.

“Enough is enough — first Bhim Rao Ambedkar College, then Faculty of Law and now Motilal Nehru College (Evening) — violence against teachers of DU is increasing,” Dhusiya said, calling for strong action against those allegedly involved.

He said the Delhi University administration should take action against the perpetrators and ensure the safety and dignity of teachers.

Habib said the college principal had reported that several attempts had been made to get an FIR registered in connection with the incident, but that the police had not registered the case so far. She also referred to the availability of CCTV footage of the incident.

“If true, this is yet another case of impunity to perpetrators. DU cannot be lost to violence,” Habib said.

Calls for Wider Action and Accountability

The development has also triggered calls within the teaching community for wider action by the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA), with some teachers demanding a university-wide shutdown over alleged attacks on faculty members.

The college’s strike notice states that all teaching and academic activities will remain suspended from September 23 until further notice.

The latest protest comes amid concerns among sections of Delhi University faculty over alleged incidents of violence and disruption involving teachers during student election-related activities.

Teachers participating in the protest said their primary demands include accountability for those responsible, action on complaints lodged in connection with the incident and measures to ensure the safety and dignity of faculty members during university duties.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)