DU Campus Law Centre cancels seminar, cites students' protest the reason

NEW DELHI: The Delhi University's Campus Law Centre (CLC) on Saturday cancelled its seminar citing “unmanageable behaviour” of the students a day after they faced-off with the administration. The seminar --Challenges to Indian Constitution-- was scheduled for Saturday at the CLC with senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan as the main speaker.

However, the faculty of law dean Usha Tondon on Saturday morning announced the decision to cancel the event. The CLC authorities had a face-off with the students on Friday allegedly over the latter’s asking for keys to the seminar room to get it ready before the event. When they were denied the keys, students resorted to stage a protest. “As per the decision of the meeting of the Committee on Seminar and Conference Rooms Booking, the cancellation is in light of the developments and the unmanageable behaviour of the students since March 25 March,” read the notice issued by the dean.

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Bhushan reached the venue but students were barred from entering it, said Abhigyan, president of the Delhi unit of the All India Students' Association. “Bhushan then started addressing the students in the parking lot. But the administration asked him to leave, saying gathering is not allowed in the campus,” he said. The lawyer, surrounded by over 100 students, addressed them outside the college premises, he said.

“There is no freedom of speech. The students wanted to speak to me peacefully about what happened yesterday but they asked us to leave saying 'discussion is not allowed inside the campus’,” Bhushan said. Delhi University Proctor Rajni Abbi too said that the event was cancelled because of the row created by students. “We denied them keys yesterday as the keys could not be provided to them a day before the event because it is against the rule. “Yesterday they created a ruckus and staged a protest. So the event was cancelled and Dean of the Faculty of Law issued an order," Abbi said.