No Black Dress, Compulsory Attendance: DU’s Notice To Students As PM Modi Attends Centenary Celebrations

In a notice, Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar College said, “On this occasion, all teachers with their students and non-teaching staff must attend the live web telecast programme in the college.”

New Delhi: Several colleges of University of Delhi have issued a set of instructions including mandatory attendance and no black dresses for attending the live streaming of the institution’s centenary celebrations, for which Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the chief guest. The Valedictory Function of the centenary celebrations will be held today, June 30. PM Modi will attend the closing ceremony of the celebrations as the chief guest. Several colleges have issued notices making it compulsory for students and faculty to attend the live telecast of the event.

Hindu College 

The Hindu College of Delhi University issued a notice making it mandatory for the students to attend the event. “The presence of all students is mandatory during the live streaming of the event. The entry to college should be done by the beginning of the first period, that is, 8:50 am to 9 am in order to avoid any traffic diversion or disruptions later in the DU campus,” the seven-point guidelines read.

The notice also provided an incentive of five attendances for attending the live streaming and prohibited students from wearing black clothing.

However, Hindu College principal Anju Srivastava said the administration has not issued any such notice. “It appears there is some misrepresentation. (This notice has) not (been) issued by the college. I have no idea,” she told PTI. However, she did not deny that the notice is not genuine.

Dr Bhim Rao College

In a notice, Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar College said, “On this occasion, all teachers with their students and non-teaching staff must attend the live web telecast programme in the college.”

Zakir Hussain College

Similarly, the Zakir Hussain Delhi College said in its order, “As per the directions of the University of Delhi, all staff members other than the newly appointed teachers who are physically present at the multipurpose hall, University of Delhi, are mandatorily required to remain present in the college library to view the valedictory function of the centenary celebrations.”

However, principals of several other colleges of the varsity clarified that they have only “requested” the students and faculty to attend the event and that there is no attendance for the same.

Registrar Vikas Gupta said the varsity has not issued any order about compulsory attendance. “We have informed the colleges that we are doing a live telecast of the event as all students cannot attend it. The colleges have made the arrangements. We have not made attendance mandatory,” he told PTI.

Students, teachers criticise event

The Students’ Federation of India (SFI), Delhi University issued a statement condemning certain notices released with regards to the Valedictory Function of the Centenary Celebrations.

“If making the presence of all students mandatory for the live screening of the event was not exasperating enough, the admin has also asked students to not wear any black dress! It is preposterous that the college and university administration will go to any lengths to curb all sorts of dissent in our educational spaces,” said SFI in a statement.

SFI DU also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence on the Manipur crisis and the wrestlers’ protest.

“A government which resorts to the most brutal measures against dissenting students, pushes teachers to the brink of suicide, constantly propagates unscientific, communal, corrupt and unsound policies like NEP-FYUP in education is called upon to celebrate an institution like Delhi University which was until now known for its secular, democratic and inclusive culture,” read the statement.

Meanwhile, a section of teachers affiliated with the Congress on Wednesday announced they will boycott Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Delhi University on June 30 over his “silence” on the Manipur issue.

“The INTEC has decided to boycott the Prime Minister’s visit to protest against the apathetic attitude of the Indian government towards the Manipur crises and problems of teachers and students of the University of Delhi,” the group said.

Recently, the varsity declared the Eid-ul-Zuha holiday on June 29 as a working day for all university employees in order to “complete all arrangements prior to the Valedictory Function of Centenary Celebrations,” inviting sharp criticism.

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