Delhi University’s (DU) fest season was once again marred by chaos on Wednesday, March 5, as Sri Venkateswara College’s annual cultural fest, Nexus’25, turned into a logistical nightmare.
As per a report by the Hindustan Times, the final day of the fest, featuring a live performance by singer Javed Ali, saw thousands of students struggling to enter the college premises, leading to a stampede-like situation outside the gates.
Visuals of the overcrowding soon flooded social media, showing long queues of students pushing and shoving as they attempted to enter the campus. The crowd stretched from the college entrance all the way to the nearby metro station, raising serious concerns about mismanagement and lack of crowd control measures.
Students speak…
“This was no festival, but a catastrophe waiting to happen... total mismanagement! Hours before the event, the crowd stretched from the college to the nearby metro station, and as we were told, the gates, for the performance scheduled at 5 pm, would close by 2 pm,” Digvijay Sulekh, a student of Motilal Nehru College, told HT.
For many first-year students, the much-anticipated DU fest experience quickly turned into a nightmare.
Muskan, a student of Indraprastha College for Women, recalled how mismanagement led to chaotic last-minute changes. "Initially, there were two entry lines, but suddenly, they announced that boys had to form a separate queue. This caused even more disorder. The lack of planning was obvious, and student safety didn't seem to be a priority," she said.
Several students described witnessing their peers collapse in the chaos.
"I saw people fall, and others almost trampled over them," Deepali Raut, a student of Shyam Lal College, told HT.
She added that while a police PCR van was present, it was "clearly insufficient" to control the crowd or provide assistance. Students attempting to leave were stuck for hours, inducing panic and distress.
Meanwhile, when questioned about the event’s mismanagement, Sri Venkateswara College Principal Vajala Ravi downplayed the severity of the situation, attributing it to “social media sensationalism.”
"If there is masala, there are reels around it," he remarked while speaking to Hindustan Times.
While he admitted there was some scuffling when the performer’s car was entering, he insisted that any injuries were "minor bruises at most."
He further defended the college’s decision to open the fest to outsiders for the first time, claiming that security measures were in place.
"Delhi Police was with us throughout. We frisked everyone at the entrance, which slowed down entry, but this was necessary for safety. Gates were opened and closed intermittently to regulate the crowd, but eventually, everyone was let in," he added.
Despite these assurances, the incident has reignited debates about safety at college fests. With overcrowding and mismanagement becoming recurring issues, DU students are now demanding stricter regulations and better planning to prevent future fiascos.
Delhi University has previously faced intense criticism over security lapses at cultural festivals, with incidents of harassment, trespassing, and safety concerns reported at Gargi College, Miranda House, and Indraprastha College for Women (IPCW).
