Scuffle at DU protest sparks cross-FIRs; VC urges harmony

New Delhi: Delhi University vice-chancellor Yogesh Singh on Saturday urged students and teachers to maintain harmony a day after clashes broke out on campus during a protest march."I request all teachers and students of Delhi University to maintain mutual harmony. No one should do anything that increases bitterness or harms the image of the nation and the university," Singh said in a statement posted in Hindi on the university's official handle on X. Calling Friday's incident "a matter of concern", he said DU has students from all states and communities and that maintaining social harmony is everyone's responsibility.
The VC said he had spoken to several student and teacher groups as well as the police administration "to ensure that no such incident occurs in the future". Referring to the new University Grants Commission regulations, he noted that the matter is currently before the Supreme Court and urged stakeholders to "maintain trust in the govt and wait for the court's decision".The clashes occurred during the ‘Adhikar Rally' held on Friday at the Arts Faculty in North Campus on the call of the All India Forum for Equity to discuss the newly released UGC regulations. According to police, "a scuffle broke out between a female YouTuber and students of the All India Students Association (AISA) who were holding a programme at the Arts Faculty, North Campus". Police said they "swiftly intervened and separated them from clashing" and that the protest concluded with "complete dispersal by 4pm".Police added that around 4.30pm, "Around 50–60 people gathered at PS Maurice Nagar demanding action against the lady protestors for physically assaulting the lady YouTuber. Meanwhile, a female AISA student also alleged assault by the YouTuber and her supporters."Videos circulating on social media showed a confrontation between the YouTuber and student protesters, though the sequence of events could not be independently verified.Police confirmed that cross-FIRs have been registered. "FIRs under Sections 74 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 115(2) (Voluntarily causing hurt), 126(2) (wrongful restraint) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita have been registered at PS Maurice Nagar based on the complaints received," police said. Investigations are underway.