03 May,2011 07:19 AM IST | | Vatsala Shrangi
Say the employees of a restaurant in Delhi University's north campus that had been vandalised by a group earlier this month
The employees of the fast food restaurant, Nirula's, located in the Delhi University's north campus are a harassed lot these days. They have filed a complaint against the University students for allegedly vandalising the outlet and intimidating them.u00a0
Food for thought:u00a0DU students outside the outlet which they had
closed forcibly.
But the problem for them is that they are not getting any support from the company owning the restaurant and have been asked to handle the issue at their own level.
"My staff has to face harassment everyday. The activities of these students are like those of the gangsters in the Bollywood movies. At times we feel as if we are watching a film in which we are playing the role of victims. And to add insult to the injury, the company has taken its hands off the issue. Now we have to deal with it on our own," said the manager of the restaurant on condition of anonymity. The staff said the company has even asked them not to speak to the media.
On April 27, a large number of students had forcibly closed the restaurant and locked its staff inside for five hours. The restaurant was opened at around 2.30 pm only after the police intervened in the matter. The students were demanding that the restaurant be closed down. A group of DU students had earlier vandalised the restaurant on April 2 after its management had refused to consider their request of arranging free meals for an event that was to be organised by the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU). The restaurant management had then filed a complaint with the police.
Students on stroll
"It is hooliganism on part of the students. Most of them who were protesting on Thursday last were outsiders," said the manager.u00a0Speaking about how students are now intimidating the staff, the manager added, "A utility worker was beaten up badly by the same group of students when he left after work late in the evening. It is sad that in a city like Delhi we have to face all this at the hands of a bunch of students. My staff is scared to move out in night".
Counterpoint
One of the three accused students in the April 2 incident, Deepak Bansal (Cultural Secretary of DUSU), had even been sent to jail for five days. "We will get the restaurant closed by hook or by crook. We had not asked them for any free meals on the said day, rather we had confronted them for serving bad food and wanted it to be replaced. There was no point why cases were filed against students for demanding what was their right," said Akshay Kumar, joint-secretary, DUSU.
The protesting students on Thursday last also submitted a three-point memorandum to the V-C and the Proctor of the University. (A copy of the memorandum is with Mid-Day).u00a0 Their demands include closure of the restaurant in the campus, creation of a reading-room in its place and withdrawal of cases against the three students.
"We want the false cases filed against the students by Nirula's to be withdrawn," said another DUSU member.u00a0
Asked about the student's demands, the Proctor H P Singh said, "I have not read the memorandum yet, as it came to me late in the evening. Till now, I don't know if our students were involved in the matter and if yes, to what extent. I'll be able to say something after I find that out."
