New Delhi: Students of the Delhi University (DU) have been protesting against a new notice that makes it mandatory to take permission from the university administration 72 hours in advance for any programme, gathering, or student protest in and around DU and its campus. The DU notice mandating a 72-hour notice before student-led events.In an official notice on March 23, 2026, the Delhi University administration has made it clear that prior permission from the concerned authorities will be required before students organise any gathering, rally, protest, or cultural programme on campus. Now, organisers will have to submit complete details of the event at least 72 hours in advance. These details include the organiser’s name and department, where the student is studying, the nature of the programme, its duration, the list of speakers, and the expected number of participants.The notice also states that this information must be shared not only with the university proctor’s office but also with the local Delhi Police station.Citing the notice, on March 27, the DU administration stopped a cultural programme titled ‘Paigaam-e-Inquilaab’ which was being held at the Arts Faculty in Delhi University’s North Campus by the Disha Students’ Organisation. The programme was intended to mark the day when Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru were killed. Akruti, a member of the Disha Student Organisation, speaking about the March 27 incident, said, “The Delhi University administration is trying to suppress student voice in the name of the new 72-hour prior permission rule. We had organised a cultural programme under ‘Paigaam-e-Inquilaab’ on March 27, but the administration and security staff stopped us from going ahead. They snatched away the photos, posters of the revolutionaries, tore them, and even trampled on them. This 72-hour permission rule is not just an administrative process, it is a direct attack on the democratic rights of students.”Last month, after clashes were reported during the course of student organisation-led events in support of the UGC equity rules, the DU administration imposed a month-long ban on protests and public gatherings from February 17 to March 17. The March 23 notice has followed on its heels.Protesting students being stopped by security guards at DU on March 30. Photo: Atul Ashok Howale/The Wire.“The Delhi University administration has officially declared war on its own students by institutionalising a ‘Permission Raj’ designed to strangulate progressive voices, following the brutal violence of February 13, where we were mauled by outside goons in the presence of the police. At the Maurice Nagar Police Station, there was a total collapse of law as we were subjected to vile abuses and rape threats inside the station while the police stood as silent spectators. Instead of acting against these perpetrators, the Proctor has chosen to punish the victims, first by imposing an arbitrary month-long ban and now by mandating a 72-hour physical application for any gathering,” Anjali, president of the DU wing of the AISA, said. The Disha Students’ Organisation held a protest on March 30. Students allege that even during this protest, a large number of university security guards were deployed, and they were prevented from demonstrating. Some posters, too, were torn. Left student groups have also alleged that while the administration is citing the new rules to restrict some events and protests, programmes linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-affiliated ABVP are being allowed. Shivam, a second-year B.Com student at Hindu College, Delhi University, said, “The double standards of the Delhi University administration are now clearly visible. Activities linked to the RSS and organisations close to those in power are allowed to take place without any restrictions on the Delhi University campus. If a social or political issue arises today, are we expected to sit quietly for three to four days before we can even protest? This campus should remain an open and democratic space where student’s constitutional rights come first, not administrative control.”