After having been forced to take back the anti-student FYUP programme last year, following a massive movement by students and teachers, the Delhi University is once geared to introduce another ill-conceived programme on students- ‘Choice Based Credit System (CBCS). The programme, as in case of the FYUP, only aims to add to the existing burden of the students and the teachers without adding any substantial quality to the education offered. Further, the university at the current juncture even lacks the basic infrastructure in terms of a well developed syllabus, prepared after due consultation with subject experts, the needed classroom spaces or the teacher strength to run such a programme. Protesting against this new onslaught on students’ right to quality higher education, the Delhi AISA unit started its campaign against the CBCS programme on the very first day of the orientation session in Delhi University. The activists had prepared pamphlets with detailed explanation on the problems with the CBCS and these pamphlets were also distributed among students and parents.
In keeping with the campaign, on 28 May 2015, AISA organised a protest against CBCS outside the Arts faculty in University of Delhi. Just when AISA activists were distributing the pamphlets, ABVP activists, including one of their current representatives in Delhi University Students Union (DUSU), along with their DU unit leaders, tried to stop AISA activists from distributing pamphlets and interacting with the new students. When AISA activists asserted their right to protest, a brutal lathi charge followed whereby ABVP hoodlums beat up AISA activists with thick lathis, hurling misogynist abuses at them while the Delhi Police continued to watch in silence. An FIR was lodged against the ABVP hoodlums who were captured beating AISA activists in several videos and photographs. An official complaint was also registered in the Proctor’s office, however no action has been taken on them so far.
AISA activists, undeterred by such onslaughts have been carrying forward their anti-CBCS campaign in the interest of the student community receiving solidarity from the Delhi University Teachers’ Union and also other left progressive groups on the campus. The activists in a united protest held a day after this incident reaffirmed their pledge to carry on their struggle for students’ rights and against renewed attempts to make Guinea Pigs out of Delhi University students by frequent experiments.
