Students to give report on steps taken to clean defaced property

NEW DELHI: The Delhi University has requested 23 students, who had contested their student union elections this year including the current office bearers, to submit a written submission about any action they have taken to clean up any defaced public property along with proof, before they attend a meeting to discuss the issue on Wednesday.

The meeting is expected to include the petitioners, who had moved the high court alleging that candidates had defaced public property by plastering posters and spray painting the candidates’ names in the university, on the roads and even Metro pillars during the campaign season.

This would be the fourth such meeting. The last one was held on December 8. However, only one of the 23 respondents attended the meeting, according to the dean of students’ welfare.

“Nikhil Bhalla had attended the meeting on behalf of Rocky Tuseed. None of the other students had turned up. We had representatives from the DMRC, the MCDS, and the School of Planning and Architecture present to give guidance on what to do next,” said Rajesh Tandon, whose office has issued the circular and has been facilitating the meetings. Tandon, in the latest notice, has said that he “would appreciate written submission on action taken report on the restoration of defaced properties during DUSU election 2017, with evidence.” He has also invited suggestions from the students to curb the practice in the future.

“We need to move things along. We need to figure out what needs to be done to deter such practices in the future, and to see what has been done so far. I can then send the report forward (to the court). It is mutually consented that no civic nuisance should be done during elections, and we shouldn’t hurt the environment... We will try and decide a roadmap during the meeting about what role would the different stakeholders play. We are hopeful of a poster free elections next year. I have faith in my students,” said Tandon.

Mahamedha Nagar, the current general secretary of the DUSU and a member of ABVP, and Kunal Sehrawat, the current vice president of the DUSU and a member of the Congress’ NSUI, had told HT earlier that they had both along with their peers taken measures like painting over any wall that had been tagged, and removing any posters with their names from the campus.