Expedite ex-DUSU president’s request for protection: HC to police

The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed Delhi Police to expedite the request for protection from former Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) president Ronak Khatri, who claims he has received threats to his life.

Mr. Khatri, in his plea, has said he has received threat messages from a Ukraine-registered phone number, and the sender, who claimed to be an infamous gangster, has demanded ₹5 crore and threatened to kill him if the amount is not paid.

Justice Ravinder Dudeja said it is the State’s duty to protect the lives of all its citizens. “Since the petitioner [Khatri] perceives a threat to his life, the DCP (Outer North) and DCP (Special Cell) are directed to expedite the request made by the petitioner for police protection,” the court said.

The court said the beat constable and the Station House Officer should be counselled to immediately attend to any call made by Mr. Khatri.

During the hearing, Delhi Police stated that Mr. Khatri’s application for security had been forwarded to the DCP (Special Cell), who would assess the threat and decide on protection.

Mr. Khatri, the DUSU 2024-25 president, has claimed that the threat messages were sent by a person associated with the Rohit Godara gang, which is allegedly involved in multiple criminal cases.

According to the plea, on September 29, despite the serious threat, only limited protection was provided, and there was no continuous police presence at his residence.

The protection was withdrawn on September 30, and the petitioner was informed that police would conduct a threat assessment.

Since then, he has repeatedly approached Delhi Police to request continued protection for himself and his family. However, no responses have been received despite several representations, the plea said.