According to the manifesto released by AISA and AAP’s student wing for DUSU polls, CCTV cameras are essential to control ‘hooliganism in the varsity’.
New Delhi: The Left-wing All India Students’ Association (AISA) seemed to go against a long-held stance as it called for CCTV cameras and police deployment in Delhi University (DU) Saturday, initiatives it has opposed at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).
The plan is part of the manifesto released by the AISA, the student wing of CPI (M-L), and the Aam Aadmi Party’s Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS) ahead of the 12 September Delhi University Student Union (DUSU) election, which they are contesting together.
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According to the joint manifesto, police booths and CCTV cameras are essential to control “hooliganism in the varsity”.
The AISA, which leads the student union at JNU, has vociferously opposed the installation of CCTV cameras on different grounds. While they cite privacy of students as a major concern, they removed some CCTV cameras from the campus last year over fears the footage could be doctored to target them.
When asked why they supported CCTV cameras and police deployment in Delhi University, AISA national president Sucheta De said “We are totally against the use of CCTV cameras for moral policing, but here we are supporting it for the security of women.”
The manifesto came a day after Kawaljeet Kaur, the president of AISA’s DU unit, alleged that members of rival Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) attacked her on the campus of a DU college. The ABVP has dismissed her claims as “pre-poll propaganda”.
“I was assaulted by goons of the ABVP, and they were let go because no footage was available to prove charges against them,” she said.
“It is for the security of people like me that we are seeking the installation of CCTV cameras in the university,” she added.
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When asked about their call for police presence, De said, “We have always protested against the deployment of police inside the campus. Even in Delhi University, we seek that the police booths should be kept outside the boundary walls of the college and not inside.”
In 2016, the JNU students had also boycotted the classes protesting against the administration that allowed police entry into the campus.
AAP leader Atishi Marlena was also present at the release of the joint mandate and she spoke about bringing reforms in the Delhi University in par with the school reforms AAP has brought in Delhi.
The joint mandate also spoke about extending the current bus pass services to Air Conditioned buses, opening up 24×7 libraries, construction of new hostels and reduction in metro fares.