Delhi University on Tuesday banned protests and the assembly of more than five persons on the campus for a month amid a students’ movement demanding stricter rules to check caste-based discrimination in higher educational institutions.
Organisations of students and teachers, and civil society groups decried the action as “undemocratic” and an “attack on freedom of speech”.
The order issued by proctor Manoj Kumar Singh referred to orders of the Delhi police issued in December 2025 and certain existing orders of the home ministry
and listed the activities that are banned.
The prohibited activities include public meetings, rallies, protests or agitations, assembly of five or more persons, carrying hazardous materials, engineering any activity that may affect the general tranquillity of the public or flow of traffic, shouting slogans and making speeches.
The order came into effect on Tuesday and shall remain in force for a month unless withdrawn earlier, DU said. It applies to students, faculty members and staff.
DU said the order had been issued in view of information indicating that unrestricted public gatherings, processions, or demonstrations on campus might lead to obstruction of traffic, threats to human life and disturbance of public peace.
“In the past, organisations have often failed to control such protests, which have escalated and spread widely, resulting in deterioration of law and order within the university campuses,” the order said.
The order came at a time when Ambedkarite student groups have announced the intensification of protests at DU and other campuses this month to demand restoration of the University Grants Commission’s equity rules, which have been stayed by the Supreme Court because of opposition from forward-caste students.
The Democratic Teachers’ Front and the Indian National Teachers’ Congress have issued separate statements demanding the withdrawal of the ban.
In its statement, the DTF said: “The order contravenes Articles 19(1)(a) and 19(1)(b) of the Constitution, which guarantee the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression and the right to assemble peacefully and without arms. By imposing a blanket ban for a month, the administration has pre-emptively criminalised peaceful assembly. The citing of a police order from December 2025 is a sleight of hand.”
It said the ongoing movements across the country and at DU in favour of the UGC regulations on equity were a threat to the majoritarian proclivities of the ruling dispensation. The prohibitory order has been drafted as a means to try to suppress and diffuse the movement in favour of UGC regulations, it said.
The INTEC said: “INTEC believes that universities and public spaces must remain forums for discussion, debate and constructive engagement. Resorting to prohibitory measures instead of dialogue erodes trust and creates unnecessary confrontation. Genuine grievances should be addressed through meaningful consultation rather than administrative restrictions.”