AISA slams DU notice to student activist over protest, calls it ‘witch hunt’

The All India Students' Association (AISA) has termed a show-cause notice issued by Delhi University (DU) to a student activist for allegedly participating in a protest that turned violent a "systemic witch hunt of student voices". The notice, issued by the Proctor's office on April 10, and signed by the chairperson of the enquiry committee formed to probe the UGC (University Grants Commission) protest in DU, refers to the February 13, 2026, demonstration on the campus.

"This protest was held at the Arts Faculty, UoD (University of Delhi) by AISA students, and two FIRs were later registered on 14.2.2026 at the Maurice Nagar Police Station. The police had identified the student, Anjali, as being involved in the protest that led to 'disturbance of law and order'," the notice said. Anjali, who is also the secretary of DU AISA, has been asked to submit a written reply to the notice within a week.

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In an email reply, Anjali called the notice "vague and non-specific". "...it is submitted that in the incident referred to, I was in fact the victim. It is deeply unfortunate that while disciplinary action appears to have been initiated against me, no action was taken against those individuals who threatened me with rape and attempted to disrobe me, including within the premises of a police station," she wrote in her reply, adding that the entire sequence of events has caused her "severe trauma". "I request that a fair and impartial enquiry be conducted, and stringent action be taken against all those responsible," she added.

AISA has condemned the notice and said, "This show-cause notice is a testament to the intensifying movement for social justice..." During the February protest, a woman YouTuber was allegedly assaulted while some student organisations claimed she incited the violence. The YouTuber had claimed that she was manhandled, her clothes were pulled, and the police did not take action until she "almost fainted" from someone reportedly grabbing her neck, "just because she is a Brahmin". AISA had released a statement on the same day, calling the claims "casteist lies".