The developments follow a week of escalating tensions at the college, one of DU's most prominent institutions, where students have accused the administration of using disciplinary mechanisms to stifle dissent. (File Photo)A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against 14 students of Delhi University’s Hansraj College after a series of disciplinary actions and suspensions triggered protests and allegations of arbitrariness on campus, The Indian Express has learnt.The FIR was registered at the Maurice Nagar police station on April 24, based on a complaint filed by the college principal, Rama Sharma. The students have been accused under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS) relating to criminal trespass and voluntarily causing hurt.The case pertains to a violent incident that took place during the annual festival of the college earlier this month, during which students allegedly clashed physically with outsiders who trespassed into the campus.Videos from around April 8 and 9 showed chaos and violence between groups of students near the entrance to the college. Hansraj has said the breakdown of campus discipline necessitated police intervention.“We had to involve the Delhi Police as the situation was getting out of hand,” principal Sharma told The Indian Express on Monday. “Since the student union was the one that held the fest, we had to name the four office-bearers as well in our complaint.”Several among the 14 students named in the FIR had been identified separately in a set of five suspension notices issued by the college against 30 students between April 20 and 25.The sweeping disciplinary action, which barred students from entering the college except to sit for examinations, was taken on grounds ranging from alleged involvement in violence to accusations of defaming the institution on social media.Story continues below this adThe Indian Express reported on the suspensions in its edition of April 27.In a partial climbdown on Monday, Sharma said the college had agreed to review two of the show-cause notices — one naming four union office-bearers and another listing seven students accused of harming the academic environment through their online activity — following requests from students.“We are always open for dialogue,” she said. “We have considered reviewing these notices and the action to be taken against these 11 students.”However, she clarified that no such review has yet been initiated for the 14 students named in the FIR. “If these students are willing to realise their mistake and come forward to talk and sort things out with the administration, the college will cooperate in helping them out in any way possible,” she said.Story continues below this adThe developments follow a week of escalating tensions at the college, one of DU’s most prominent institutions, where students have accused the administration of stifling dissent. The suspension notices cited reasons such as “defaming the College through social media platforms” and the “use of derogatory language” against staff.Student union president Abhijit Singh has alleged that the crackdown disproportionately targeted those active in campus politics. “Some students were singled out because they intended to contest elections,” he had told The Indian Express earlier, describing the action as discriminatory.The administration has rejected those claims, maintaining that the measures were necessary to restore order. Sharma had earlier described the suspended students as “our children,” but insisted that disciplinary action was unavoidable.“Maximum students come here to study; their academic performance should not be disturbed,” she told The Indian Express on Sunday. “This is a very prestigious college.”Story continues below this adThe ongoing confrontation is the latest in a series of disputes at Hansraj College over the past few months. In February, students had protested against the use of campus grounds for a private wedding linked to the principal’s family, alleging that it disrupted access. Frictions over permissions for the annual fest followed soon after.Vidheesha Kuntamalla is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express, based in New Delhi. She is known for her investigative reporting on higher education policy, international student immigration, and academic freedom on university campuses. Her work consistently connects policy decisions with lived realities, foregrounding how administrative actions, political pressure, and global shifts affect students, faculty, and institutions. Professional Profile Core Beat: Vidheesha covers education in Delhi and nationally, reporting on major public institutions including the University of Delhi (DU), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Jamia Millia Islamia, the IITs, and the IIMs. She also reports extensively on private and government schools in the National Capital Region. Prior to joining The Indian Express, she worked as a freelance journalist in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for over a year, covering politics, rural issues, women-centric issues, and social justice. Specialisation: She has developed a strong niche in reporting on the Indian student diaspora, particularly the challenges faced by Indian students and H-1B holders in the United States. Her work examines how geopolitical shifts, immigration policy changes, and campus politics impact global education mobility. She has also reported widely on: * Mental health crises and student suicides at IITs * Policy responses to campus mental health * Academic freedom and institutional clampdowns at JNU, South Asian University (SAU), and Delhi University * Curriculum and syllabus changes under the National Education Policy Her recent reporting has included deeply reported human stories on policy changes during the Trump administration and their consequences for Indian students and researchers in the US. Reporting Style Vidheesha is recognised for a human-centric approach to policy reporting, combining investigative depth with intimate storytelling. Her work often highlights the anxieties of students and faculty navigating bureaucratic uncertainty, legal precarity, and institutional pressure. She regularly works with court records, internal documents, official data, and disciplinary frameworks to expose structural challenges to academic freedom. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2024 & 2025) 1. Express Investigation Series JNU’s fault lines move from campus to court: University fights students and faculty (November 2025) An Indian Express investigation found that since 2011, JNU has appeared in over 600 cases before the Delhi High Court, filed by the administration, faculty, staff, students, and contractual workers across the tenures of three Vice-Chancellors. JNU’s legal wars with students and faculty pile up under 3 V-Cs | Rs 30-lakh fines chill campus dissent (November 2025) The report traced how steep monetary penalties — now codified in the Chief Proctor’s Office Manual — are reshaping dissent and disciplinary action on campus. 2. International Education & Immigration ‘Free for a day. Then came ICE’: Acquitted after 43 years, Indian-origin man faces deportation — to a country he has never known (October 2025) H-1B $100,000 entry fee explained: Who pays, who’s exempt, and what’s still unclear? 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