Delhi University: DUTA demands immediate withdrawal of 'coercive' memo issued to 34 teachers

NEW DELHI: Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) on Wednesday staged a dharna at the Faculty of Technology, demanding the immediate withdrawal of a memorandum issued to 34 faculty members, seeking explanations for their absence during the first one-and-a-half hours of the new academic session, calling the communication "arbitrary", "stigmatic" and "coercive".

The protest came a day after the start of DU's academic session, when the Faculty of Technology issued a memorandum directing 34 teachers to submit signed written explanations for their absence between 9 am and 10.30 am on the first day of the 2026-27 academic session.

It directed the teachers to submit detailed signed explanations by 5 pm the same day, stating that their absence on such an "important academic day" was being viewed seriously and warning of possible disciplinary action in case of non-compliance or an unsatisfactory response.

"Failure to submit the explanation within the stipulated time, or submission of an unsatisfactory explanation, shall be treated as a serious administrative lapse, and the matter may be placed before the competent authority for appropriate action under the relevant provisions of the University of Delhi rules and regulations," the memorandum mentioned.

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DUTA's letter to DU

In a letter addressed to the Dean, Faculty of Technology, DUTA demanded the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the memorandum, alleging that it violated the dignity of teachers and the principles of natural justice.

Calling the communication "wholly unbecoming" of the dean's office, DUTA said its language presumed culpability on the part of teachers before any facts had been established. "The memorandum is stigmatic in character.

Directing teachers to submit a signed, detailed written explanation under the threat of disciplinary action rests on the presumption that the faculty members in question have committed a lapse," the teachers' body said. It further alleged that the communication compromised the dignity of teachers by treating them "as though they are guilty unless they prove otherwise".

DUTA President V S Negi said it was "deeply ironic and unfortunate" that the memorandum had been issued on Guru Purnima. "It is deeply ironic and unfortunate that on the sacred occasion of Guru Purnima, when the nation celebrates and honours its teachers, the University of Delhi chose to subject its own faculty members to humiliation through a coercive and stigmatic memorandum.

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DUTA members met the dean

Such actions erode trust, damage academic morale, and are wholly unbecoming of a premier institution," Negi said in a statement. According to DUTA, its office-bearers met the Dean and urged him to withdraw the memorandum immediately. However, the meeting ended without any assurance from the administration, following which the association launched a dharna at the Faculty of Technology.

Teachers gathered at the protest site in solidarity to defend the "dignity, self-respect and rights" of the teaching community, the association said. DUTA said the dharna would continue until the memorandum was withdrawn unconditionally and urged the university administration to abandon "coercive measures" and uphold the dignity of teachers.