DUSU Polls 2024: Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College withdraws from DUSU elections, triggers protests

NEW DELHI: Just days ahead of the DUSU elections slated for September 27, Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College has refused to participate in the students union elections, sparking protests. In a letter to the Delhi University administration, the college's principal, Gurmohinder Singh, announced that they would be conducting their own student elections.

The decision, he said, was made following directions from the college’s parent body, the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC). The DSGMC governs four Delhi University colleges—Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College, Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College, Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce, all of which are affiliated with DUSU.

However, Mata Sundri College for Women, another college under the DSGMC, is not affiliated with DUSU. Earlier this year, the DSGMC had stated that its colleges would not participate in the DUSU elections. The Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College principal added that the college's own elections would have office bearers nominated by the Staff Advisory Committee, and will follow the Lyngdoh Committee guidelines.

In his letter dated September 3, he wrote, "This is to inform you that as per the directions of the Parent Body, directly communicated to you as well as other Khalsa Institutions of University of Delhi, it is being decided to disassociate our College- Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College from DUSU Elections."

"It is being resolved that henceforth the office bearers of the Students' Union will be nominated by the Staff Advisory Committee to the Students' Union subject to the provisions of the Lyngdoh Committee." The decision triggered protests on Thursday, with student members of both the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Congress' National Students' Union of India (NSUI) gathering at the college to voice their objections.

The ABVP also filed a petition in the Delhi court, challenging the disassociation of DSGMC colleges from DUSU. The ABVP condemned the Khalsa College Governing Committee’s decision, labeling it "autocratic." They criticised the reclassification of DSGMC colleges from DUSU-affiliated to non-DUSU colleges without approval from the university administration.

They launched an "indefinite strike," demanding a reversal of the decision. However, there was no response from Delhi University Registrar Vikas Gupta regarding the matter. Meanwhile, NSUI members also protested, alleging that the cancellation of the elections was done under pressure from ABVP to favor them.

NSUI National President Varun Choudhary stated, "NSUI has consistently held a strong position in Khalsa College elections. ABVP is clearly afraid of facing elections. They know they will lose. I openly challenge them that NSUI will win 4-0 in these elections." He further added, "The cancellation, done under pressure from ABVP, is viewed as a blatant attempt to favor them."