Resisting Repression: Students Fight Back in Himachal, Rajasthan and UP Campuses

Dr. Prabudh Singh

Over the past decade, Indian university campuses — once vibrant arenas of intellectual exploration, dissent, and democratic dialogue — have increasingly become battlegrounds where state power and right-wing forces attempt to muzzle student voices. From the imposition of draconian rules and targeted suspensions to the deployment of police forces and the vilification of dissenting students, an alarming pattern has emerged. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in ideological sync with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its student wing, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), has been actively engaged in transforming institutions of higher education into spaces of surveillance, submission, and saffronized pedagogy. But against this tide, students — led by progressive organizations like the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) — continue to fight back with resilience and courage.

Himachal Pradesh: Criminalizing Justice

On 10 September 2024, six students of Government College, Sanjauli in Himachal Pradesh were arbitrarily expelled for seeking justice for a fellow student who had allegedly faced sexual harassment. Their only “crime” was approaching the Principal and demanding accountability. Instead of addressing the allegations, the college chose to suspend the complainants themselves — two of whom were women — without any due process or inquiry. Worse, these students were not even served prior notice, nor were they offered an opportunity to be heard. This move was not just a violation of university norms; it was a direct attack on the constitutional and legal rights of students.

This case highlights how university and college administrations, emboldened by the prevailing authoritarian ethos, are targeting students who raise legitimate demands. As documented by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties, such repression sets a dangerous precedent: where the demand for justice is equated with indiscipline, and those who support survivors are punished to create a chilling effect on future protests.

Rajasthan: Resistance in Shekhawati

At Shekhawati University in Rajasthan, the SFI has been at the forefront of mobilizing students on critical issues — ranging from fee hikes to lack of infrastructure and the communalization of academic events. The administration, however, responded with outright hostility. When the university tried to host RSS-affiliated religious figures at its convocation — violating the protocol of secular governance — SFI activists vocally opposed the move. Instead of engaging in dialogue, the administration unleashed repression, subjecting students to arrests and inhumane treatment.

Despite this, SFI persisted. Their struggles led to victories on fee rollbacks and forced the administration to address basic infrastructural needs like clean drinking water, library access, and the hiring of qualified faculty. This is not just a story of repression — it is a story of organized resistance, where students stood firm in the face of authoritarian policies and refused to be cowed.

Banaras Hindu University: Silencing Dissent After Sexual Violence

In November 2023, Banaras Hindu University (BHU) witnessed yet another instance of state-sponsored injustice when a female student was gang-raped on campus. Instead of ensuring justice and support for the survivor, the administration went after students protesting the incident. Several students, including women activists, were suspended for organizing peaceful demonstrations demanding accountability, safety, and justice.

This was not the first time BHU had responded with authoritarianism. In 2017 too, women students had faced police lathi-charges for protesting sexual harassment. The pattern remains unchanged. When survivors and allies speak out, they are silenced — often violently. The message is chillingly clear: there is no space for democratic protest, even in the face of gender-based violence.

Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU), Lucknow: Curbing Women’s Freedom and The Struggle for Gender Justice

Patriarchal repression continues to thrive on Indian campuses under the pretext of “safety”, with women students subjected to curfews, surveillance, and infantilizing rules. At Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU) in Lucknow, the SFI has led a spirited resistance against such gender-discriminatory policies.

Challenging hostel curfews and unequal codes of conduct, SFI organized signature campaigns, postcard drives to the National Commission for Women, and campus-wide seminars on gender justice. Women students marched to the administration demanding the rollback of curfews and autonomy over their lives.

This resistance is not just against arbitrary rules — it is a battle to defend Babasaheb Ambedkar’s vision of social and gender equality. At BBAU, as across the country, students are fighting back against a regressive, Manuvadi model of campus governance and asserting their right to live, learn, and lead with dignity.

This resistance is not just against arbitrary rules — it is a battle to defend Babasaheb Ambedkar’s vision of social and gender equality. At BBAU, as across the country, students are fighting back against a regressive, Manuvadi model of campus governance and asserting their right to live, learn, and lead with dignity.

These incidents are not isolated. They reflect a nationwide pattern of repression aimed at stifling student dissent and depoliticizing campuses — especially those that challenge the majoritarian agenda of the ruling establishment. ABVP plays a key role in this transformation — often functioning as the enforcement arm of this ideology on campuses. From physical assaults on leftist students to coordinated disruptions of events organized by Dalit, feminist, or progressive groups, ABVP thrives on violence and enjoys administrative complicity.

The battle is not merely against administrative repression, but against a broader ideological project that seeks to erode the very foundations of India’s secular, democratic republic. Through legal struggles, street protests, and academic interventions, SFI has kept alive the possibility of an alternative vision — one where universities remain spaces of debate, dissent, and transformative politics.

Amidst the growing authoritarianism on campuses, it is crucial to remember that these attacks on students are not just attacks on individuals – they are attacks on the future of Indian democracy. In every campus where a student is suspended for protesting injustice, in every university where right-wing groups are given a free hand, in every hostel where dissenting voices are silenced — we lose a part of our collective future. At the heart of these patterns lies the BJP-RSS vision of an Indian university: one that is stripped of its critical function, aligned with a homogenized Hindu identity, and reduced to a factory for obedient citizens. The push for “saffronization” is not just about textbooks or the imposition of Hindi — it’s about redefining the very purpose of education. Critical thinking is replaced with rote obedience. Historical inquiry is replaced with mythology and propaganda. Dissent is rebranded as anti-nationalism.

But as the struggles from Himachal to Rajasthan to BHU show, the student movement is far from defeated. Our campuses may be under siege, but they are also sites of possibility — of dreaming, organizing, and resisting. The road ahead will be difficult, but as long as students continue to fight — together, critically, and fearlessly — democracy will not be extinguished.

Dr. Prabudh Singh holds PhD in Sociology from Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University Delhi, and is engaged in student politics serving Students’ Federation of India as its President of Uttar Pradesh State Committee and Central Executive Committee member