Hansraj College suspends 30 pupils, including 4 student union office bearers, over alleged misconduct during annual fest

NEW DELHI: The Hansraj College has suspended around 30 students, including four office-bearers of its students’ union, citing allegations ranging from “defaming the college through social media platforms” to “use of derogatory language”.

The notices in this regard were served between April 20 and 25. The action follows incidents of alleged violence and misconduct during the college’s annual fest held on April 8 and 9. In one of the notices dated April 25, the college administration said the union office-bearers have been placed under suspension with immediate effect, pending disciplinary proceedings.

College principal Prof. (Dr) Rama could not be reached for comment at the time of filing this report. Those suspended include the four elected representatives of the Hansraj College Students’ Union for 2025-26.

Suspending elected student union representatives has become a new way of undermining democracy under the BJP government.

At Hansraj College, the administration led by Prof. Rama appears to be acting out of bias, as students had earlier protested against the misuse of college… pic.twitter.com/ew6UE1mx49

— NSUI (@nsui) April 27, 2026

According to the notice, the students have been barred from entering the college premises during the suspension period, except to appear in examinations and internal assessments. The duration of the suspension has not been specified, with the order described as “interim” and effective until further directions.

The first notice was issued on April 20 against a single student. The notice said the student had been found in acts of indiscipline, including defamation of the institution and use of derogatory language against teaching and non-teaching staff.

A second notice issued named 14 students for being involved in “acts of indiscipline, physical violence, and disruption of campus order” during the annual fest.

The move has drawn sharp criticism from the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU), which termed the action “a brazen attack on student democracy and an outright abuse of administrative power”.

DUSU president Aryaman Sai said, “These are the very representatives who sit on protests for days, fighting for student rights, so what exactly is their crime? Speaking the truth? Exposing administrative failures?” Alleging an attempt to “crush student leadership”, Sai added that “silencing elected voices is not governance, it is fear,” and demanded “immediate and unconditional revocation” of the suspensions.

“Campuses are meant for dissent, dialogue, and accountability — not authoritarian crackdowns. Students will not be bullied. Students will not be silenced,” he said. (ANI)