DU clash: Cow dung smeared on DUSU office after Rahul visit

DU clash: Tensions soared at Delhi University’s North Campus on Monday as the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) held a protest march and one of its leaders smeared cow dung on Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) president Ronak Khatri’s office.

The incidents followed a controversy surrounding Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s unannounced visit to the campus last week.

Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, had visited the Delhi University to interact with students from Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and Other Backward Class (OBC) communities.

According to the university proctor’s office, the visit was conducted without prior permission and disrupted student governance operations.

“Rahul Gandhi has done this for the second time… coming to the university without any intimation and information,” the office said in an official statement.

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The ABVP’s ‘Chhatra Samman Yatra’ began at Kirori Mal College and concluded at the DUSU office, with participants alleging that Gandhi’s visit on May 22 created “chaos” and violated institutional protocol.

The protestors also accused the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) members of misbehaving with DUSU secretary Mitravinda Karnawal during the event.

The controversy took a provocative turn when Rishab Choudhary, an ABVP leader and the organization’s presidential candidate for the last 2024–25 DUSU elections, posted a video on Instagram showing himself applying cow dung on the nameplate and office of the DUSU president.

“Khatri put cow dung in the principal’s office and also misbehaved with professors. Today, I am applying it in his office,” Choudhary is heard saying in the video.

This action appears to be a reference to a recent incident from April, when a video went viral showing the principal of Lakshmibai College applying cow dung to classroom walls as part of a research initiative. That act drew criticism and in response, Khatri allegedly smeared cow dung in the principal’s office in protest, further escalating tensions on campus.

Reacting to the ABVP’s accusations, the DUSU president issued a sharp statement on X, “On May 22, Rahul Gandhi came to Delhi University to listen to the problems of SC, ST, OBC and EWS students. Soon after, the Council and the Sangh began spreading false propaganda against him in the university.”

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Khatri directly challenged the ABVP, saying, “If the Sangh really allows raising the voice of the Dalits, the deprived and the exploited, then you too come forward and talk about the rights of the students – but I am sure that you will never get this permission. I still hope that you will do some positive work in the interest of Dalit, oppressed and deprived students.”