DU Student Rallies Are Bringing South Campus to a Standstill

I am writing this today not merely as a resident, but as one of many who feel our daily lives have been held hostage by the utter chaos of the ongoing Delhi University student body elections. 

Over the past three days, colonies close to South Campus have become a staging ground for political rallies, with a blatant disregard for the safety and convenience of the public.

Today, like many others, I was trapped for over half an hour in a massive traffic jam at the Baba Balaknath Mandir crossroads, a direct consequence of an ABVP student rally. The scene was pure pandemonium—vehicles gridlocked from all directions, with an initial and alarming absence of police. It took the intervention of a few concerned citizens to even begin to untangle the mess. The stationed police, though present, intervened after they saw a few of us had stepped out of our vehicles to manage the traffic. They were completely unequipped to handle the situation. 

It’s a terrifying thought that an ambulance or anyone with a medical emergency could be trapped in such a situation, a life-or-death scenario where every second counts.

Our testimonies are piling up: an elderly grandmother’s medication was delayed by a 35-minute wait, and residents have reported hooliganism and the lack of proper traffic management at critical points like the T-point of Benito Juarez Marg. While we have shared pictures and complaints with the election officer, there has been a refusal to take responsibility.

The solution is clear and simple: student campaigning must be strictly confined to their respective campuses. Residential areas are not a playground for political posturing. Furthermore, if student parties are granted permission to take their campaigns to the streets, it must be with a mandatory and effective police presence to manage traffic and ensure public safety. 

This rampant hooliganism and lack of civic sense from ‘future leaders’ is truly pathetic. It’s unacceptable that these young individuals, who should be setting an example, litter our streets with thousands of paper pamphlets, as I witnessed last year. And this year, they’ve given us another reason to complain. 

Who will put an end to this nuisance and restore order to our community? I wait for the local MLA to take cognisance.