Delhi Technological University students who have been continuously protesting and demanding for the conversion of DTU back into Delhi College of Engineering (DCE), were on Wednesday lathicharged, when they protested outside All India Congress Committee (AICC) office.  They wanted to meet Sonia Gandhi.

Many students were injured and two of them were seriously injured and have been hospitalized. Some 40 students including the DTU student’s union president Ravi Shekhar were detained, who were later released at midnight.  

Vijayant Singh, a second year student said, “I do not understand what they were thinking while taking this step. They were just trying to scare us with lathi. But we have shown them that we have more strength and we will continue this protest until we get our DCE back.”

Students, who have been protesting since March 4th, have been demanding turning back of DTU to DCE and the removal of the DTU Vice Chancellor P.B Sharma. They say they have knocked on every possible door. Vijayant added, “On Tuesday we met the OSD of Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit and presented our memorandum of demands. He asked us to compromise and concentrate on our exams but we denied.”

Since Wednesday mid night students have sitting outside the Vice Chancellor P.B Sharma’s house in the campus, asking for his resignation. A second year student Vivek Singh said, “Our Vice Chancellor came out twice only to talk but was not ready to listen to us. And whenever we tried to question him, he went back. We will not move from here till he gives his resignation.”  

The students have boycotted the re-scheduled mid semester exam. It continued on Wednesday when only 34 students from first, second and third year appeared. Today there is no exam in the college.