Khalsa College Opts Out Of DUSU Elections, Triggers Protests

Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College has opted out of DUSU elections following DSGMC directives, sparking protests from ABVP and NSUI.

New Delhi: Just days before the DUSU elections set for September 27, Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College has opted out of participating in the student union elections, leading to protests, news agency PTI reported. In a letter to the Delhi University administration, Principal Gurmohinder Singh announced that the college will hold its own student elections instead. This decision was made following directives from the college’s governing body, the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC).

The DSGMC oversees four colleges at Delhi University—Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College, Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College, and Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce—all of which are affiliated with DUSU. In contrast, Mata Sundri College for Women, also under the DSGMC, does not affiliate with DUSU.

Earlier this year, the DSGMC had declared that its colleges would not take part in the DUSU elections. Principal Singh noted that the college's own elections would see office bearers nominated by the Staff Advisory Committee, adhering to the Lyngdoh Committee guidelines.

In his letter dated September 3, he stated, "As per the directions of the Parent Body, directly communicated to you as well as other Khalsa Institutions of University of Delhi, it has been decided to disassociate our College—Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College—from DUSU Elections. Henceforth, the office bearers of the Students' Union will be nominated by the Staff Advisory Committee to the Students' Union in accordance with the provisions of the Lyngdoh Committee." 

This decision has sparked protests, with student members from both the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the Congress-backed National Students' Union of India (NSUI) gathering to express their dissent. The ABVP has also filed a petition in Delhi court challenging the DSGMC colleges' disassociation from DUSU.

The ABVP criticized the Khalsa College Governing Committee’s decision as "autocratic," objecting to the reclassification of DSGMC colleges from DUSU-affiliated to non-DUSU colleges without university approval. They have initiated an "indefinite strike," demanding a reversal of this decision.

As of now, there has been no response from Delhi University Registrar Vikas Gupta regarding the situation. Meanwhile, NSUI members have protested as well, claiming that the cancellation of elections was pressured by the ABVP to benefit them. NSUI National President Varun Choudhary asserted, "NSUI has consistently been strong in Khalsa College elections. ABVP is clearly afraid of facing elections; they know they will lose. I challenge them openly that NSUI will win 4-0 in these elections." He further stated that the cancellation, influenced by ABVP, appears to be a blatant attempt to favor their position.

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