The Dr BR Ambedkar University Delhi (AUD) has asked the Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women (IGDTUW) to reconsider the installation of a security gate in the common passage between the two campuses, saying it could impede access of its students and faculty to classrooms, playgrounds and the auditorium.
In a letter dated October 3 to the IGDTUW registrar, AUD said the two universities had been holding discussions on the exchange of allocated spaces and issues related to the installation of the gate.
It requested that the matter be reconsidered in view of a 2009 decision regarding allocation of spaces between the two institutions at the Kashmere Gate campus.
The university said it supports measures aimed at strengthening campus security and reaffirmed its commitment to the safety and well-being of students, faculty and staff of both institutions.
However, it said any such measures should be planned keeping in mind long-term campus safety while ensuring accessibility for students.
According to the letter, the proposed gate would obstruct AUD students and faculty from accessing classrooms, playgrounds and the auditorium, which are part of the university’s academic, physical and cultural activities.
AUD also raised concerns over land on Old Madarsa Road that had been allocated to IGDTUW and handed over for construction of a hostel. It said the space had not been properly maintained and its dilapidated condition had raised security concerns for students of both universities.
The university requested a meeting with the Principal Secretary (Higher Education) at the earliest, saying the earlier decision on allocation of space should be placed before the authorities and a comprehensive view taken before any unilateral action is initiated.
It also pointed out that entry and exit of AUD students is not permitted beyond 8 pm and said any movement towards the girls’ hostels at night would therefore not arise. The university added that any misconduct by its students, if reported, is dealt with under its prescribed code of conduct.
The letter further cautioned that installation of the gate could lead to further agitation among AUD students and inconvenience stakeholders at various levels.
The development comes as students of AUD continued their indefinite sit-in protest for the ninth day on Tuesday, opposing the proposed gate and other issues concerning campus access and administration.
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The AISA-led AUD Students’ Collective-Karampura and other protesting students alleged that the university administration had neither responded to their requests for a meeting nor sent any representative to engage with them.
More students joined the protest on Tuesday, while the protesters also raised objections to the ongoing construction of the gate.
The protesters claimed that once the gate is installed, only one road would remain accessible to AUD students and argued that AUD and IGDTUW have shared the Kashmere Gate campus since the former’s establishment, with the ground and auditorium designated as shared spaces.
They said the proposed gate would further restrict access to shared spaces and demanded that its installation be stopped. The protesters also opposed existing barricades and demanded that the front gate of the campus be opened.
