The Delhi Technological University (DTU) (earlier known as the Delhi College of Engineering), has expelled two students protesting against the change in status from a central university affiliate to a state-run institute.
“The university administration has been forced to expel two students, Ravi Shekhar and Nitin Baraiya, for indulging in gross acts of indiscipline, disrupting classes, instigating fellow students, using foul language and disrupting law and order situation of an otherwise well-functioning and peaceful Tech-University campus,” said a statement from DTU.
“The two expelled students were not amongst those who were eligible for campus recruitment, as they had failed in their examinations. There are some teachers who are also behind this agitation,” said DTU vice-chancellor P B Sharma.
Students contested the decision of the administration to distance itself from Delhi University. “While DTU is now a state university, DCE was under Delhi University (DU). This move would reflect on future placements because several public sector units recruit only from central universities or colleges affiliated to them. We want to be both academically and administratively under the DU,” alleged Baraiya who is DTU’s placement coordinator and a student of the civil engineering department.
Incidentally, Baraiya got a placement in Angelique International, a product-engineering company.
The DTU statement said: “What is important, however, is to realise that the Delhi University had failed to innovate and upgrade its engineering curriculum for the last 30 years. After all, is it not the primary responsibility of the university to provide quality curriculum to its affiliated institutions. It had no intentions to improve on the quality of education in the premier institution (DCE). In spite of it, the institute has nurtured engineers, who have excelled both at home and abroad”.
Students, meanwhile, alleged that there has been no change in the infrastructure or curriculum and plan to continue with their protest. “We have approached Rahul Gandhi and intend to write to the human resource development ministry,” a student said.