‘Students must skip CJP protests’: DU official warns of consequences

2 min readUpdated: Jul 23, 2026 01:36 PM IST

University students should not become a “political tool” and must stay away from the ongoing CJP-led protests despite any sense of solidarity with the movement, a senior official of Delhi University (DU) told The Indian Express, warning that participation in such agitations could have consequences.

The remarks come a day after the university, in a post on its official X handle, said, “We see the pain and anxiety of our students. It is unfortunate that vested interests are exploiting their fears instead of easing them. The need of the hour is to calm the situation and reduce their distress, so that they can focus on what truly matters: their studies and their future.”

The university’s response comes amid nationwide protests led by the CJP over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations and demands for greater transparency and accountability in the examination system.

Thousands of students have participated in demonstrations across the country, with protests in Delhi escalating earlier this week after police used tear gas and lathis to disperse protesters.

“There is no advisory in place. We just want our students to be safe and we are acting only in the best interest of our students” the official added.

Vidheesha Kuntamalla is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express, based in New Delhi. She is known for her investigative reporting on higher education policy, international student immigration, and academic freedom on university campuses. Her work consistently connects policy decisions with lived realities, foregrounding how administrative actions, political pressure, and global shifts affect students, faculty, and institutions.

Professional Profile

Core Beat: Vidheesha covers education in Delhi and nationally, reporting on major public institutions including the University of Delhi (DU), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Jamia Millia Islamia, the IITs, and the IIMs. She also reports extensively on private and government schools in the National Capital Region.

Prior to joining The Indian Express, she worked as a freelance journalist in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for over a year, covering politics, rural issues, women-centric issues, and social justice.

Specialisation: She has developed a strong niche in reporting on the Indian student diaspora, particularly the challenges faced by Indian students and H-1B holders in the United States. Her work examines how geopolitical shifts, immigration policy changes, and campus politics impact global education mobility.

She has also reported widely on:
* Mental health crises and student suicides at IITs
* Policy responses to campus mental health
* Academic freedom and institutional clampdowns at JNU, South Asian University (SAU), and Delhi University
* Curriculum and syllabus changes under the National Education Policy

Her recent reporting has included deeply reported human stories on policy changes during the Trump administration and their consequences for Indian students and researchers in the US.

Reporting Style
Vidheesha is recognised for a human-centric approach to policy reporting, combining investigative depth with intimate storytelling. Her work often highlights the anxieties of students and faculty navigating bureaucratic uncertainty, legal precarity, and institutional pressure. She regularly works with court records, internal documents, official data, and disciplinary frameworks to expose structural challenges to academic freedom.

Recent Notable Articles (Late 2024 & 2025)

1. Express Investigation Series
JNU’s fault lines move from campus to court: University fights students and faculty (November 2025)
An Indian Express investigation found that since 2011, JNU has appeared in over 600 cases before the Delhi High Court, filed by the administration, faculty, staff, students, and contractual workers across the tenures of three Vice-Chancellors.

JNU’s legal wars with students and faculty pile up under 3 V-Cs | Rs 30-lakh fines chill campus dissent (November 2025)
The report traced how steep monetary penalties — now codified in the Chief Proctor’s Office Manual — are reshaping dissent and disciplinary action on campus.

2. International Education & Immigration
‘Free for a day. Then came ICE’: Acquitted after 43 years, Indian-origin man faces deportation — to a country he has never known (October 2025)

H-1B $100,000 entry fee explained: Who pays, who’s exempt, and what’s still unclear? (September 2025)

Khammam to Dallas, Jhansi to Seattle — audacious journeys in pursuit of the American dream after H-1B visa fee hike (September 2025)

What a proposed 15% cap on foreign admissions in the US could mean for Indian students (October 2025)

Anxiety on campus after Trump says visas of pro-Palestinian protesters will be cancelled (January 2025)

‘I couldn’t believe it’: F-1 status of some Indian students restored after US reverses abrupt visa terminations (April 2025)

3. Academic Freedom & Policy
Exclusive: South Asian University fires professor for ‘inciting students’ during stipend protests (September 2025)

Exclusive: Ministry seeks explanation from JNU V-C for skipping Centre’s meet, views absence ‘seriously’ (July 2025)

SAU rows after Noam Chomsky mentions PM Modi, Lankan scholar resigns, PhD student exits SAU
A series of five stories examining shrinking academic freedom at South Asian University after global scholar Noam Chomsky referenced Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an academic interaction, triggering administrative unease and renewed debate over political speech, surveillance, and institutional autonomy on Indian campuses.

4. Mental Health on Campuses
In post-pandemic years, counselling rooms at IITs are busier than ever; IIT-wise data shows why (August 2025)

Campus suicides: IIT-Delhi panel flags toxic competition, caste bias, burnout (April 2025)

5. Delhi Schools
These Delhi government school grads are now success stories. Here’s what worked — and what didn’t (February 2025)

‘Ma’am… may I share something?’ Growing up online and alone, why Delhi’s teens are reaching out (December 2025) … Read More