DU must roll back ban on protests, demand student groups

Three student outfits on Thursday (February 19, 2026) held a press conference demanding the revocation of the month-long prohibition on demonstrations imposed by Delhi University earlier this week.

On Tuesday (February 17, 2026), DU Proctor Manoj Kumar Singh issued an order imposing a ban on protests, public meetings, processions, and demonstrations on the university campuses. The order came four days after clashes were reported at an event held by the All India Students’ Association (AISA) in support of the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) equity rules.

‘Undemocratic order’

Earlier in the day, members from the three Left-aligned organisations — All India Democratic Students’ Organisation (AIDSO), Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS) and All India Students’ Federation (AISF) — gathered at the Arts Faculty gate, where the clashes were reported on February 13, denouncing the “undemocratic” ban. The students said DU’s security personnel stopped them and tore up their posters. Following this, the students briefed the media around 100 metres from the Arts Faculty building.

“We consider the order not only undemocratic but also a direct attack on the very essence of education. It aims to smother all forms of debate, discussion and healthy dialogue in the campus,” said AIDSO’s DU in-charge Adrika. If the order is not revoked, she added that “students shall expedite the movement to reclaim their rightful democratic campus space”.

The student leaders said the reason cited by the Proctor for the ban — “maintaining peace and tranquillity on campus” — was vague.

A day earlier, the DU Teachers’ Association appealed to the administration to revisit its order, stating that such a ban had never been imposed in the university’s history. It appealed for social and cultural events to be exempted from the order.