New Delhi: Delhi University on Thursday objected to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s unannounced visit to its North Campus, calling it a breach of institutional protocol and a disruption of student governance operations.
“Shri Rahul Gandhi has done this for the second time… coming to the university without any intimation and information to the University of Delhi,” the proctor’s office said in an official release.
Earlier in the day, Gandhi, who is also the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, interacted with students from Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) at the DU’s North Campus, focusing on issues of representation, equality and academic justice.
The interaction took place within the office of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) President.
The university condemned the visit and expressed hope that such an incident would not recur.
According to the official release, Gandhi remained at the DUSU office for nearly an hour, during which the area was cordoned off by security personnel. The university criticised the visit for hindering the operations of a key student body.
“The DUSU office was cordoned off by security cover and no one was allowed to enter,” the statement said, adding that the DUSU Secretary was also denied access to her office.
“Some students were locked in the room of the secretary, DUSU, and were misbehaved with by NSUI students,” the university alleged.
These events unfolded while the DUSU Secretary waited outside, attempting to gain access to her office but was reportedly blocked by members of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the Congress party.
“The university condemns such action and hopes that this does not happen in the future,” the statement read, warning, “Strict action will be taken against students who were involved in this.”
Responding to the allegations, DUSU President Ronak Khatri, who is affiliated with NSUI, said there is no requirement for the student union president to seek prior permission to host a private guest.
“Let it be stated: this visit was conducted peacefully and solely within the premises of the DUSU Office, to which I, as the duly elected President of the Delhi University Students’ Union, am fully entitled to invite any guest. There exists no rule — academic or legal — that compels the President of DUSU to seek prior permission for hosting a private or informal guest interaction, particularly when it does not constitute a public gathering or violate campus security,” said Khatri.
He also claimed that the university’s statements were not only “factually incorrect” but also indicative of “administrative overreach”.
“This [DU’s] press note, unfortunately, appears politically motivated, biased in tone, and undermines the democratic and autonomous functioning of the student body,” he added.
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) – affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) – holding several positions in DUSU, also criticised Gandhi’s visit. It dismissed the event as a mere photo opportunity and alleged that its representatives were excluded.
DUSU Secretary Mitravinda Karanwal, affiliated with the ABVP, claimed she and her team were prevented from entering the student union office due to “VVIP protocol”.
“Only after a lengthy negotiation was I ‘graciously’ allowed entry — alone. I refused to leave the students behind,” she said.
The ABVP described the event as “bad theatre”.
It stated, “Turning up uninvited, silencing elected voices and treating a student union office like a private drawing room is not leadership — it’s theatre. Rahul Gandhi visiting DU is like a rejected actor crashing a student play — no role, no invite, just loud entry and bad reviews.”
The ABVP further alleged that Gandhi engaged solely with select NSUI members in what it described as an “echo chamber” rather than holding an open discussion.
It questioned, “Is this the Congress party’s idea of women’s empowerment? Of youth outreach? Of democratic values?”
Last week, Gandhi visited students at an Ambedkar hostel in Bihar’s Darbhanga district as part of his ‘Shiksha Nyay Samvad’. That visit, also held without official permission, resulted in two FIRs being filed against him and over 100 Congress workers in the state.
