AUD Campus Crisis: From Egalitarian Ideal to Fortress

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University Delhi (AUD), established in 2007 with an aim to foster academic excellence and social justice, is currently embroiled in a major conflict. Administrators and students are engaged in a deepening standoff at the Kashmere Gate campus. The crisis has seen confrontations over new university directives, including mandatory daily attendance logs for PhD scholars and requiring prior approval for research excursions.

This policy, likened by administrators to monitoring Multi-Tasking Staff, fails to acknowledge the nature of humanities and social science research. Protests initiated on September 28, 2026, led to campus gates being shut and police barricades erected. Despite a modification to the attendance rules on September 30, 2026, scholars continue their protest, citing unaddressed issues of basic amenities and fees.

The university's infrastructure is also in a state of neglect, with classrooms suffering from water seepage and sanitation facilities in disrepair. Furthermore, AUD's fees for M.A. programmes are considerably higher than those at other public universities. For instance, while Calcutta University charges ₹1,200 to ₹2,400 annually, AUD's M.A. fees are ₹47,600 for the first semester and ₹41,600 for subsequent semesters.

Financial support for poorer students has also been affected, with upfront fee exemptions replaced by a reimbursement process. Doctoral researchers face limited fee waivers after the first year, and support like travel grants and fieldwork allowances remain suspended. The university also has a severe shortage of accommodation, with no hostel beds available for male students.

Delays in the construction of permanent campuses in Dheerpur and Rohini persist, with the university operating from makeshift sites. Centralization of key administrative posts and a disregard for transparency, including unreplied Right to Information requests, exacerbate the situation. The current administrative approach at AUD appears to prioritize revenue generation and control over its founding principles of equality and democratic dissent.