In the early hours of Thursday, May 1, protesting students at Ambedkar University Delhi (AUD) allege that security guards attempted to threaten and intimidate them using a “live, venomous snake.”
Students at Dr BR Ambedkar University Delhi have entered the 27th day of an indefinite sit-in and hunger strike at the Kashmere Gate campus, protesting the suspension of five student activists. The protest, led by the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), has drawn attention to alleged administrative apathy and escalating intimidation tactics by university authorities.
Tensions escalated on Thursday when security guards allegedly used a live snake to intimidate protesting students. According to Sumana Sucharita, a student on hunger strike, guards brought a poisonous snake near their sleeping area, threatening to place it in their beds.
“I was screaming at them, asking what they were doing,” recounted Sumana Sucharita, one of the two students present that night. “They brought the snake really close — it was wriggling violently in a plastic box. I couldn’t sleep at all. I’m on a hunger strike, I was dizzy and terrified. Since then, I’ve been constantly anxious.”
The incident, students say, took place around 12.15 am while only two protestors were present at the site. Campus dogs had begun barking, likely at the snake, before guards arrived with it.
“At first, we thought they meant to remove the snake. But then they walked toward us, laughing, saying this was the only way to get rid of us,” Sumana added.
However, despite students submitting a complaint to the vice-chancellor and student counsellors, no action has been taken yet.
“Continuous intimidation”
Students say that this is not the first attempt at intimidation by the AUD administration.
Student protestors have been on a continuous sit-in since April 7 and on hunger strike since April 9, demanding the revocation of suspensions issued to five student activists.
Sameer, President of the SFI unit at AUD, told EdexLive, “This wasn’t the first instance of intimidation, but it was the most disturbing. In the past month, guards have threatened us, torn down posters, even told us outright they’d forcibly evict us.”
He added that protestors have sent multiple emails and formal complaints to the university administration, including to Vice-Chancellor Anu Singh Lather, but have received no reply.
Students say campus access is being systematically restricted.
“Barricades have gone up everywhere. Classrooms are being locked after hours. The canteen and student services now come with constant questioning,” said Sumana.
What happened?
The protest began in early April after AUD suspended five students for allegedly using "disrespectful language" toward the vice-chancellor during a student event. The students had criticised the VC’s Republic Day speech, which referenced Ram Mandir and Dalits — comments that many found to be communal and historically insensitive.
The university claims the suspensions followed due process, but students and faculty have argued that the punishments were arbitrary and intended to crush dissent. The suspended students were barred from campus for an entire semester.
In the weeks since, the protest has grown to include cultural events, mural painting, and public lectures — all aimed at defending what students call “shrinking democratic space” on campus.
Even as Delhi saw red alerts issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for thunderstorms and heat-related illness, the protest has continued outdoors.
