\u2018If you do not interfere in politics, politics will interfere with you<\/em>,\u2019 said Mehina Fathima, a PhD Scholar at Delhi University (DU) and a former member of the Students\u2019 Federation of India (SFI). Student-led protests in DU campuses are not a new phenomenon. Since its establishment in 1922, DU has witnessed student activists become national leaders and transform the face of Indian democracy. However, of late, this culture has faced systematic erosion due to bureaucratic red tapism and arbitrary administrative decisions that quell dissent.<\/p>\n Under these regulations, for any assembly which includes protests, dharnas, or related activities, organisers must submit a signed physical application 72 hours in advance to both the Proctor\u2019s Office and local police authorities.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n The Office of the Proctor at the University of Delhi issued new guidelines<\/strong><\/a> to regulate campus protests and public gatherings in a notification dated March 23, 2026. Under these regulations, for any assembly which includes protests, dharnas, or related activities, organisers must submit a signed physical application 72 hours in advance to both the Proctor\u2019s Office and local police authorities.\u00a0<\/p>\n The application must include details of the organisers, the nature of the event, and the proposed schedule. Furthermore, individuals not affiliated with DU are strictly prohibited from attending on-campus events. Any breach of these provisions may result in serious consequences, including suspension, rustication, or police action for both organisers and participants. Earlier in February, DU imposed a one-month ban<\/strong><\/a> on protests following agitations against the University Grants Commission\u2019s (UGC) 2026 equity regulations<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n This latest set of guidelines, however, must be understood in the context of recent legal and institutional developments shaping student activism. Notably, the Delhi High Court recently upheld the rights<\/strong><\/a> of students to peacefully protest while revoking the suspension of a student from Dr B R Ambedkar University (AUD).\u00a0In the order passed on March 13, Justice Jasmeet Singh stated, \u2018A university that accepts only obedience and discourages protests and criticism would fail in its broader educational role. The role of the university is not to suppress every form of dissent, but to ensure that such expression is answered and addressed.<\/em>\u2019<\/p>\n Tanvi, a student at DU and an activist with the All India Students\u2019 Association (AISA), shared how immediacy is essential to activism. Calling the 72-hour mandate unreasonable, she explains how students are compelled to take to the streets when everyday policy affects them directly. \u2018Students bear the brunt of every policy being introduced today, and it requires immediate action. Putting a ban on protests and demanding permits only crushes dissent in university spaces,<\/em>\u2019 noted Tanvi.<\/p>\n \u2018Universities and students work on a social contract of trust<\/em>,\u2019 says former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students\u2019 Union (JNUSU) President and former AISA National President N Sai Balaji. He argues that with these new regulations, DU is not just sending a message but making a statement: the exercise of democratic rights now comes at a price, be that rustication, a fine, or police proceedings. \u2018India is a democracy, and universities are places where students can learn about democracy. The moment you criminalise this, you tell students that their thoughts are not free<\/em>,\u2019 he added.<\/p>\n Students at DU have never been passive recipients of arbitrary action; they have consistently been active participants in movements. Sarthak Sharma, Delhi State Secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), notes that since the beginning, students have united through organisations to raise grievances and resolve issues with the administration. When asked why student involvement in politics is necessary, he says, \u2018It has been the tradition in India<\/em>,\u2019 adding that to instil the belief of \u2018nation first<\/em>\u2019 in the youth, activism through various means is essential.<\/p>\n Dr Uma Gupta, an Assistant Professor at Indraprastha College, DU, considers classrooms as spaces where the \u2018youth of the future\u2019 is moulded into individuals who are well-versed in their rights and obligations. Consequently, she considers these regulations \u2018dangerous and against the spirit of the Constitution.<\/em>\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018To make change, we need to keep organising and not give up<\/em>,\u2019 says Mehina. She notes that DU is a public university funded by taxpayers\u2019 money, and adds, \u2018What we are seeing right now is that regulations are being imposed not for the safety of students, but for the safety of the administration<\/em>.\u2019 She believes this is a form of surveillance targeting specific students. \u2018At the end of the day, it is our campus<\/em>,\u2019 she says, adding that student politics is a journey of becoming aware of one\u2019s rights and raising one\u2019s voice when they are violated.<\/p>\n Historically, significant student participation was visible during the freedom struggle, beginning with the Non-Cooperation Movement<\/strong><\/a> in the early 1920s. This resolve grew stronger during the Civil Disobedience Movement in the 1930s and the Quit India Movement of 1942. While the top brass of the Congress party was imprisoned, the leadership vacuum was filled by sophisticated underground networks of students that coordinated strikes and participated in picketing processions.\u00a0<\/p>\n As a punitive measure, wheat permits for DU hostels were halted in 1942. Yet activism continued, with popular student leaders evolving into prominent freedom fighters.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n Activism was sustained over the years through organisations such as the All India Students\u2019 Federation (AISF), founded in 1936. From college magazines to newsletters, dissent against the colonial regime strengthened, but this was not without consequence. Master Amir Chand, a board member of Hindu College, was executed in 1915 for his activism. Similarly, students from Ramjas College were arrested for their activism, with two of them sentenced to life imprisonment in the Andamans. As a punitive measure, wheat permits<\/a><\/strong> for DU hostels were halted in 1942. Yet activism continued, with popular student leaders evolving into prominent freedom fighters.<\/p>\n India has long fostered a politically nurturing atmosphere for motivated youth, according to Dr Gupta. \u2018Student politics is the first step through which an Indian citizen learns to evolve their wisdom<\/em>,\u2019 she says. A compelling example is that of Rajiv Kumar, the former Vice Chairman of the NITI Aayog, who famously left St. Stephen\u2019s College to briefly join the Naxalite movement in his youth.\u00a0<\/p>\n Similarly, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Ram Vilas Paswan, and Nitish Kumar, once student activists, are now household names in Indian politics. They are all products of the JP Movement, led by political stalwart Jayaprakash Narayan. Sitaram Yechury and Prafulla Kumar Mahanta are other names whose participation in student politics is indicative of the diversity inherent in youth-led activism in India.<\/p>\n These lessons from history are evidence that student-led protest movements are neither an anomaly nor a novelty in India.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n These lessons from history are evidence that student-led protest movements<\/a><\/strong> are neither an anomaly nor a novelty in India. As Delhi High Court Judge Justice Jasmeet Singh stated in his order regarding protests: \u2018When students express disagreement in a peaceful and orderly manner, such conduct cannot be treated as outside the scope of holistic development. On the contrary, it reflects the very spirit of freedom to engage in discourse and discussions that a university is expected to encourage.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n While accepting that basic regulations are necessary to ensure that campus activities remain peaceful and inclusive, without disrupting academic functions, Zeeshan Ahmad Khan, former National Chairperson of the National Students\u2019 Union of India\u2019s (NSUI) Social Media Department, says, \u2018Such regulations must be reasonable and non-restrictive, ensuring that they do not curb students\u2019 fundamental rights to dissent and democratic expression.<\/em>\u2018<\/p>\n He adds that student politics ensures accountability and provides a collective voice in decision-making. Furthermore, he notes, \u2018Activism has led to tangible improvements in college infrastructure, hostel and mess facilities, fee reforms, and grievance redressal systems.<\/em>\u2018<\/p>\n While student organisations are recognised by JNU and DU, AUD does not grant them formal recognition; hence, all such activities are considered a breach of university policy and invite police presence on campus, no matter how peaceful or small-scale the gathering may be.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n Unlike DU, where formal regulations have been introduced to regulate protests, Dr B.R. Ambedkar University (AUD) has seen surveillance, targeted suspensions, and restrictions on events implemented as arbitrary administrative actions. Prerna Vats, a PhD scholar and member of AISA, shared that iron gates and barricades have been installed on campus to \u2018protect\u2019 the administration from protesters.<\/p>\n \u2018Events on topics ranging from sexuality to caste, and those that the administration considers to have political connotations, are regularly cancelled<\/em>,\u2019 she notes. While student organisations are recognised by JNU and DU, AUD does not grant them formal recognition; hence, all such activities are considered a breach of university policy and invite police presence on campus, no matter how peaceful or small-scale the gathering may be.<\/p>\n \u2018Now they are being very repressive<\/em>,\u2019 shares Aditi Mishra, JNUSU President and one of the five students rusticated<\/strong><\/a> by the JNU administration following protests against the installation of Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) at the library entrance. Alleging vandalism, the administration has barred the students from campus and fined them each INR 20,000 for damaging property. Though DU\u2019s new regulations do not apply to JNU, a 2019 order by the Supreme Court restricts any event or protest within 100 meters of the administrative block. Violation of this constitutes contempt of court, Aditi explains.<\/p>\n\n
DU and youth-led agitation<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Student activism in India over the years<\/h3>\n
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Contemporary campus politic<\/strong>s<\/h3>\n
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