Gorakhpur University Restricts Reels and Video Shooting on Campus
Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University has restricted unauthorised reels and video shoots, with disciplinary action for students who break campus rules.
AC Team
Gorakhpur: Students who enjoy making reels on campus will need to pause before pressing the record button. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University has introduced new discipline rules that restrict students from shooting reels or videos on campus without prior permission.
The rule also covers videos made for upload on social media. Students who break it may face action based on the nature and seriousness of the offence. The action can range from a warning to suspension or expulsion in serious cases.
Why has the university introduced the rule?
The university says the new rules aim to maintain discipline and protect a safe learning environment. A campus is shared by students, teachers, staff and visitors. A quick reel may seem harmless to one person, but it can disturb a class, record someone without consent or create a safety problem.
Social media clips can also show parts of the campus that the university may not want to publish. A video made as a joke can spread far beyond the campus within a few hours. The internet has a long memory, and it does not always understand the joke.
According to Additional Proctor Dr Ved Prakash Rai, students cannot make reels or videos in university buildings, departments and other campus areas without permission. The rule applies when such videos are recorded for posting on social media.
Acts that may invite disciplinary action
The new rules cover more than video recording. They list several acts that the university considers indiscipline or serious misconduct. These include:
- Making reels or videos without permission and uploading them online
- Eating paan, spitting or smoking in classrooms, corridors and verandahs
- Putting up posters or advertisements on university walls
- Damaging university property
- Bringing outsiders into the campus without permission
- Driving at high speed or putting the safety of others at risk
- Creating noise or disturbing classes and campus work
- Standing without reason near the girls’ common room or busy passages
- Showing objectionable or inappropriate behaviour
The rules also cover rude behaviour with teachers, officers and university staff. Misbehaviour between students, physical fights, ragging and disruption in classrooms or laboratories may lead to stronger action.
Permission will be needed for campus events
Students and groups cannot organise events on campus without prior approval from the discipline office. This may include cultural programmes, awareness drives, promotional activities and other gatherings.
Students who want to record a college project, interview, documentary or event should seek permission before filming. They should also make sure that people seen in the video agree to be recorded. A permission process can help avoid confusion about where filming is allowed, who can appear in the video and how the footage may be used.
What students should keep in mind
The new rule does not mean that every camera or phone is banned on campus. It focuses on unauthorised recording and social media uploads. Students should check with their department or the discipline office before shooting any public content.
They should avoid recording classes, staff rooms, laboratories, security areas and other restricted locations. They should not film a student who does not want to appear. Blocking a corridor for a dance video may also cause trouble, even if the dance steps are better than the attendance record.
Students should keep the following points in mind:
- Ask for written or clear official permission before filming.
- Follow the time and location given by the university.
- Take consent from people who appear in the footage.
- Do not disturb classes, examinations, laboratories or office work.
- Do not use campus footage to insult, threaten or target others.
- Keep the original permission record until the video is published.
Other institutions have also set phone limits
The Gorakhpur University decision comes after similar steps by other education institutions. About a year earlier, Darul Uloom Deoband issued a notice restricting the use of smartphones by its students. The notice stated that a smartphone could be confiscated if a student was found using it.
Deobandi scholar Maulana Qari Ishaq Gora said the aim was to bring students closer to books and protect them from outside distractions. The two decisions focus on different issues, but both show the growing concern about phones, social media and student discipline in educational spaces.
For students at Gorakhpur University, the safest approach is simple: get permission before recording, respect privacy and keep the phone from turning a classroom into a film set.
