Delhi University’s (DU) college festivals, long the beating heart of campus life and a rite of passage for generations of students, are caught in a widening clash between administrative control and student autonomy.
The tension is unmistakable across North and South campuses. At Shaheed Bhagat Singh College (SBSC), the administration has stripped the student union of authority over festivals and sponsorships following isolated instances of mismanagement. At Hansraj College, a mid-concert clash led to abrupt cancellations, suspensions, and police complaints. Hindu College faced significant delays and reviews of its cultural calendar, Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma (ARSD) College dealt with infrastructural fires during its busy season, and Gargi College was caught in a political blame game after a heavy-handed entry incident involving Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) officials spiralled out of control.
For students, the curbs run deeper than regulatory oversight. Harsh, a law faculty student, describes endless bureaucratic hurdles. “We give multiple proposals for conducting any events. After repeated revisions, they finally get approved, only to be cancelled at the last moment, leaving us helpless. We are deprived of basic rights and assigned faculty oversight even for the simplest activities,” he said.
