College principal smears cow dung on walls of classrooms to combat heat; Students' Union president hits back

NEW DELHI: In a dramatic turn of events at Delhi University’s Lakshmibai College, Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) President Ronak Khatri smeared cow dung on the walls of Principal Pratyusha Vatsala’s office. The act came as a response to the principal’s earlier move to coat classroom walls with cow dung, a decision she said was based on faculty research aimed at reducing classroom heat.

Videos of Pratyusha Vatsala applying cow dung in classrooms had gone viral on social media. Now, footage of Khatri replicating the act inside her office is also making rounds on social media. Khatri questioned the principal’s decision to apply cow dung in classrooms without the students' consent. In the video, Khatri is also heard telling a teacher present in the principal’s office, “If you want to conduct research, do it at your own home.”

Later, in a video shared on social media, Ronak Khatri clarified that he was only helping the principal in her efforts to reduce heat. “We’re now confident that madam will give up the air conditioner in her office. We also hope that the AC will be handed over for student use, and that the college will adopt the modern technique of using cow dung to keep the premises cool,” Khatri said in the video.

Meanwhile, the Delhi University administration has yet to respond to the actions of the Students' Union president.