Police file FIR after students clash at SGTB Khalsa College

A clash between two student groups at Delhi University’s Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College on Saturday over election nominations escalated into a physical altercation, during which a student’s turban came off, said police on Monday. An FIR has been filed against a former student and several unnamed associates for assault and hurting religious sentiments. 

According to senior police officers, the incident occurred during a protest outside the college principal’s office, sparked by the college’s initial decision not to participate in the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections. The protest turned violent when a group of former and current students opposed to the DUSU elections clashed with students advocating for the elections to take place. 

The complainant, a second-year student, claimed in the FIR that he was “attacked” by a group of students during the nomination process. He alleged that they forcibly removed his turban, pulled his hair, and verbally abused him. “My T-shirt was also torn. I am not feeling safe…please provide me security,” the student said in his complaint. 

Bhupinder Singh Bhullar, an executive member of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), explained that the protest was a response to DSGMC’s decision to conduct separate student elections, independent of the DUSU elections. “We had decided this since a lot of violence occurs during these DUSU elections. During the protest, a student’s turban fell off. An FIR was lodged as religious sentiments have been hurt,” Bhullar added. 

The clash took place just days after two students from the college approached the Delhi High Court to challenge DSGMC’s decision to exclude Khalsa College from the DUSU elections. On September 20, the court ruled in favour of allowing students from Khalsa College and Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce to participate in the elections, scheduled for September 27. 

 GTB Khalsa College principal Gurmohinder Singh told HT that the nomination process was underway smoothly until around 1.55pm, just five minutes before the filing window was to close. “A group came outside my room and began to clash with the students there, who were filing nominations. During this scuffle, a student’s turban also fell down. I got to know about this later when the student approached me and the next day, he filed an FIR,” Singh said. He confirmed that the college is cooperating with police and has shared CCTV footage of the incident, adding that they do not know why the clash broke out. 

A video circulating on social media shows students pushing and hitting each other. In the footage, a student wearing a red turban is seen being beaten and kicked, resulting in his turban falling off. HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the video. 

Deputy commissioner of police (north) Manoj Kumar Meena said that the student approached the police the next day, leading to the filing of an FIR under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 299 (deliberate act to outrage religious feelings), Section 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), and Section 351(2) (criminal intimidation). “Both groups had students, former students, and outsiders. They were fighting over the nomination process, during which a student’s turban came off. We have taken his complaint and filed an FIR,” said DCP Meena. 

Police are currently verifying the allegations and plan to take necessary legal action once investigations are complete, they said.