Book Students Putting Up Posters Of Leaders

Step into Delhi University and you are greeted with hundreds of posters of student leaders smiling down on the thousands of eager aspirants thronging the campuses.

The smiles, however, may have to fade soon as S N Singh, the Dean of the Law Faculty, has refused to allow the propagandism and dispatched a letter to the Maurice Nagar Police station last week asking them to register an FIR against the defacement of public property. He also threatened that if the movie posters are not removed soon, he will file a PIL against the "culprits".

Devesh Srivastav, DCP, has said that since June 2, the day the admissions began, the Maurice Nagar Police Station has registered five cases against "the defacement of public property". According to Srivastav, the MCD has already stepped in and started removing the posters from the walls.

S N Singh is, however, not pleased with the arrangement and has asked for an explanation regarding who has issued permission to political organisations to use university property to promote themselves.

"These people are students, not actors and actresses whose blow-ups can decorate public property. Going to the Arts faculty has become a irksome experience," he told Newsline.

The first complaint was dispatched on June 2, while a second complaint was sent on June 4. In the second letter, the Dean wrote, "The roads in the North Campus are having great number of obstructions put up by advertisers and others in the guise of information centres, making it difficult for us to move on this roads. Kindly remove all of them and also take action against the culprits."

In the letter, Singh has also drawn attention to the promotional vehicles plying on the roads of Delhi University, with posters of student leaders and commercial items pasted all over it. "I have also sent similar complaints to the Commissioner and the Lieutenant Governor am yet to receive a reply," says Singh.

Said DCP Srivastav, "The complaints were against those who had put up the posters on the walls. We cannot, however, register cases against political leaders if they decide to use vehicles to propagate themselves, as it is not a criminal offence," he said.

June 10, 2008