We, the student community of Ambedkar University Delhi, call upon students, professors, academics, intellectuals, parents, activists, and all those committed to democratic and inclusive education to stand in solidarity with us as we resist a negligent, authoritarian, and increasingly exclusionary university administration.

Ambedkar University Delhi is among the most expensive public universities in India, with fees being repeatedly hiked by the administration. Yet, despite the increasing financial burden placed on students, the university has continued to shrink rather than expand. Our infrastructure is deteriorating, hostel facilities remain inadequate, faculty appointments have been delayed for months, and essential student support systems are being bureaucratized and weakened.

At the same time, the administration has invested in an entirely different kind of infrastructure: locked and guarded iron gates across the campus, particularly around the administration and Vice Chancellor’s office. These gates have come to symbolize an administration that seeks to physically and politically distance itself from the students it is meant to serve. They restrict students’ movement and make it harder for protests and dissent to reach the administration.

This “Iron Gates regime” is part of a broader pattern of suppressing student dissent. Students have repeatedly faced suspensions, disciplinary action, and administrative crackdowns for raising legitimate demands. On 31 July, the administration issued a circular mandating prior administrative approval for every gathering on campus, creating yet another mechanism to regulate and suppress student expression and collective activity.

These measures have accompanied a series of regressive academic and administrative policies, including mandatory attendance requirements for PhD students, the removal of PhD fee waivers, and restrictions on student-organized events and activities. At the same time, hostel infrastructure continues to crumble and access to fee waivers and other forms of financial support has become increasingly bureaucratized.

The rampant saffronization of the university’s institutional and campus spaces raises serious concerns about the erosion of the democratic, and socially transformative character that a public university must uphold. This is particularly alarming in a university that continues to struggle with caste discrimination and sexual harassment. The failure and inefficiency of institutional mechanisms such as the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) leave students without accessible avenues for addressing harassment and discrimination.

When elected student councillors, along with students, began an indefinite sit-in protest outside the Vice Chancellor’s iron gates, demanding answers and basic rights, the administration showed no concern for their wellbeing. Students continue to sleep and live on campus as our protest continues.

On the sixth night, the administration locked protesting students inside the campus for the long weekend, cut off our access to food and water, and ordered security personnel to assault us. One of our students was hospitalized following the incident. The administration initially denied the ambulance access to the protesting students, and it was only after police intervention that the ambulance was allowed to enter.

Despite financial distress and the removal of fee waivers, many students have been forced to fundraise simply to pay the university’s exorbitant fees. We are therefore compelled to ask:

Where is our money going?

Why is our infrastructure crumbling despite ever-increasing fees?

Why did it take months of protests to appoint faculty for courses?

Why are iron gates being constructed instead of democratic mechanisms of dialogue?

Why did university officials and security personnel respond to students demanding basic necessities with force?

We therefore call upon the wider academic community and civil society to stand with us students of AUD.

We request students, professors, academics, intellectuals, parents, activists, alumni, and democratic organizations to sign this appeal and express their solidarity with our struggle.

We further call for an academic boycott of Ambedkar University Delhi if the administration fails to address these demands and restore democratic accountability on campus.

OUR DEMANDS

• Roll back the Events Circular and end administrative restrictions on student-organized events.
• Fix our crumbling Infrastructure on priority.
• Reinstate the PhD fee waiver and ensure accessible, transparent financial support for students.
• End the Iron Gates regime and remove physical and administrative barriers restricting student movement and dissent.
• Ensure meaningful student representation at every level of university decision-making.
• No punitive or disciplinary action against protesting students.

Our university belongs to its students, workers, and academic community not to an apathetic administration!