SRCC left at Crossroads! Seedhe Maut concert creates chaos in Delhi University's North Campus
SRCC’s annual fest, Crossroads, witnessed approx 40,000 students flood the campus for Seedhe Maut's gig, leading to Delhi Police taking over the situation.
What was supposed to be a high-octane evening at Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC)’s annual fest, Crossroads, spiraled into a complete mayhem as thousands of students flooded the college premises leading to winding queues going all the way up to Hudson Lane in North Campus! The excitement to witness the live performance of hip hop duo Seedhe Maut led to a frenzy that turned into an unrest as the arena maxed out long before the closing time of gates (2.30pm) as Maurice Nagar saw a deluge of DU students trying to force their way into the college premises. Was there a lax in the management or a sheer miscalculation of expected audience?
Over 20,000 students were inside the college by noon while a crowd of another 15,000 waited outside in queues stretching over two kilometers. Some even climbed over the barricades and boosted their peers on shoulders, shouting ‘Tera Bhai, Seedhe Maut!’ around 4pm, as the college gates were closed to restrict the entry of more students to avoid overcrowding. “It was a literal stampede! We registered early, but guess that doesn’t matter. We were in the waiting line since 2pm but got entry only at 8pm, which is after the concert began and the gates reopened after the crowd had dispersed,” says Adhishtha, a BCom (Hons) student of Bharati College, adding, “The bouncers were aggressive and disrespectful.”
Inside the college, tension hung in the air at the open grounds as some Insta posts announced that the gig stands cancelled. Among those present here were also students of SRCC who had to open the show for Seedhe Maut but stood helplessly waiting as their teammates remained stuck outside. “Half of my dance crew couldn’t get entry so we couldn’t make it for what was like a dream performance of our life,” says Aayushi Saini, a final-year student of Economics (Hons) at SRCC.
The Insta post was fake and uploaded in an effort to control the crowd of around 40,000 that had turned up for Seedhe Maut’s concert. “It was uploaded just to disperse the crowd as there was no other option left,” a student union member told us under condition of anonymity, adding: “We were supposed to start the entry at 2.30pm but a crowd started gathering at noon itself and police had to take over the situation. We had 100 security personnel including bouncers and the police, but all these measures were clearly not enough! Students were spotted climbing the walls and breaking the barbed wire in order to enter the college.”
Devendra Singh Oberoi, SHO of Maurice Nagar Police Station told us, “We were on ground for the fest and it got overcrowded as probably a lot more students must have turned up than expected by the college. But, it was all managed at the end by the police personnel present. We also assigned additional staff to ensure things were kept in control and eventually the artistes performed without any major incident. End mein sab bahut achhe se ho gaya.”
The Insta post was deleted later in the night, and despite all the chaos the duo Seedhe Maut took the stage sans any drama. Speaking to us after the show, Seedhe Maut said: “Our fans have always been enthusiastic but we had no idea that there will be so many students coming to attent the show. It was surreal to look at the crowd. A lot of people had to be sent back from the venue to avoid chaos but hopefully we will make it up to them soon. This show will be in our memory for a long time!”
Story by Tanvi Consul
