SFI 1970-1980: A decade of dedicated student struggles – Part 1: 1970-75

M A Baby

The following is the first part of an article covering the growth and development of SFI during the 10 years from 1970-80. This article published in the Dec-Jan 1981 edition of Student Struggle deals with the period since the first conference of the SFI in 1970 to just before the imposition of emergency. The second part which would be published in the next issue of ‘Student Struggle’ would deal with the period of emergency and after.

The formation of SFI in its first all-India conference at Trivandrum (Kerala) on 30th December 1970 will be engraved in the history of the Indian student movement as well as that of the general democratic movement as an event of utmost importance. It was not just the formation of another all-India organisation; but the inception of a student organisation of a new type with a correct and scientific programme and commitment to the cause of the student community. As explained in the first sentence of the SFI programme, it took upon itself the task of organising the student community of different schools, colleges and universities (and other educational institutions like ITIs and Polytechnics) in India into a well-knit all-India student organisation, and building a powerful student movement to fight for a progressive and democratic educational system and for the uplift and betterment of the lot of the student community’.

SFI, with its proper perspective towards the student movement, has undertaken the task of organising Indian students under the banner of a red-starred white flag of Independence, Democracy and Socialism for the last ten years. When we look back to the unprecedented developments in the democratic student movement of India for the previous decade, in connection with the decennial celebrations of SFI, we will see that it is an undisputed fact that SFI played a qualitative role in giving a new orientation to the Indian student movement by mobilising them into militant united actions on common demands. The previous decade, therefore, can be rightly called that of dedicated student struggles. Hundreds of SFI comrades had to lay down their lives during this period defending democracy and students’ demands. Braving all sorts of heinous onslaughts from ruling classes and reactionary forces, and translating the programmatic understanding of study and struggle into practice, SFI advanced into new areas with tremendous increase in membership and attained enviable prestige among the student community which is discernible in the student union election victories.

The intention of this article is to have a look at the balance sheet of these ten years.

The foundations

The two-year period (1971–72) just after the formation of SFI witnessed a series of student agitations in all the states where SFI units functioned. A few instances are given below.

Kerala: On 21st November 1971, against the High Court striking down certain important clauses of the University Act passed by the UF government, students held a huge demonstration before the Ernakulam High Court. 6000 students joined in it. In various district centres 15000 students participated in the demonstrations. In Tellicherry, student demonstrations were brutally lathi-charged. During this period students came out into the streets protesting against the murder of SFI activists Com. Subramanyam of Anthicadu, and Coms. Salimkumar and Rajan of Cochin.

SFI mobilised the students demanding the cancellation of examination fee for SSLC. In connection with this, at quite a number of places students were lathi-charged by the police. But the government had to concede this demand. Issues like unification of fees of private and government colleges, abolition of capitation fees in private educational institutions, radical syllabus reforms, better laboratory and library facilities, prevention of police from entering educational campuses, employment relief, were raised during this period. On these issues a number of joint campaigns with other student organisations were successfully initiated.

The solidarity strike initiated by SFI in support of the hutment dwellers’ agitation for land was remarkable and proved the political consciousness of the student movement, in which more than two lakh students participated directly.

Tamil Nadu: The Annamalai University incident is worth mentioning. Police brutally lathi-charged students of that university who were demonstrating against an Honorary Degree being bestowed on the DMK Chief Minister. A B.Sc. student Uday Kumar was killed in that lathi charge. Following this, at the call of SFI thousands of students came out of their classes protesting against the incident.

Andhra Pradesh: On the problems of Harijan and backward class students, various campaigns and struggles were conducted by SFI in Nellore, Guntur, Vakadu and Kakinada. Students won some demands. Student comrades here had to face attacks from the management goondas. In Vijayawada and some other centres students came out against increase in hostel rents and mess fees and got them reduced.

Orissa: On September 19, 1971, as part of the Student Demands Day, demonstrations were organised at various centres. Campaigns demanding free studentships to the flood-affected students were organised.

Tripura: Under the leadership of the SFI, students demanded opening of three more colleges, more stipends, increase in teaching staff, more library facilities and so on. This movement was backed by the Agartala Bandh and later Tripura Bandh. Students came out against police repression following the murder of an agricultural worker in the Kailashahar College by landlords. Police had to release all arrested students after the strong demonstrations.

Assam: Right from the early 1970s, SFI had to face and expose the chauvinist campaigns of reactionary forces. Against their divisive tactics, SFI mobilised students on genuine democratic issues like arrest of price rise, relief for drought-affected people and exemption of tuition fees for students of these areas, more administrative power for state government and so on. Along with PSU, DSO and Chatra Parishad (Revolutionary), 3rd August 1971 was observed as Demands Day.

Bihar: In connection with the Students Demands Day of September 17, the Janasanghite principal of Jharia College refused to receive the students’ memorandum and opened fire on the demonstrators killing one student activist.The students went on prolonged strikes and forced the government to prosecute the principal.

UP: Apart from other activities, July 6–20, 1971 was observed as anti-imperialist fortnight, by holding meetings in Varanasi, Bijnor, Aligarh, Lucknow, Bareilly, Mathura, Dehradun and Kanpur.

Punjab: A number of struggles were conducted in the colleges of Banga, Phagwara, Amritsar, Rajpura, Jullundur and Tarn Taran against the high-handed attitude of the management and other authorities as well as against police repression. Successful united actions were also organised in many parts of the state.

Karnataka: In the Polytechnic students’ agitation in the year 1971–72, SFI played a prominent role. On the question of high fees in private colleges and schools, capitation fees, lack of laboratory, library and hostel facilities, the SFI campaigned in various parts of the state and launched movements.

West Bengal: SFI comrades of West Bengal had to face emergency-type attacks right from the formation of SFI. Strenuous struggles against the ruling classes were conducted. Campaigns to save education from anarchist attacks were also undertaken.

In the beginning the ruling classes utilised Naxalites for attacking the educational institutions in order to checkmate the participation of students in the democratic movement. This they did in a planned manner. Similar attacks had been made on libraries, laboratories and some school buildings of Calcutta and 24 Parganas. They caused extensive damage.

The Congressites and Naxalites tried to instigate the students for mass copying and to prevent the peaceful conduct of examinations, by attacking the teachers, tearing the question papers etc. SFI stood against this trend of copying, though we knew that this trend develops due to the outmoded system of education and examinations. In Jadavpur University our student comrades successfully resisted the Naxalites and got the examinations conducted peacefully. State-level education conventions, extensive campaigns and setting up of joint committees helped the fight against anarchism in the field of education.

Simultaneously the SFI workers had been under physical attacks by the police, as well as Congressite and Naxalite goondas. Com. Tarakeshwar Guha was murdered by Naxalites inside the Naba Gram College premises, Hooghly, when he was organising a meeting there. Com. Prasantha Dutta, Joint Secretary of Nadia District SFI, was murdered by Naxalites when he was coming out of the examination hall. Com. Nityanand Pal was murdered by Youth Congress and Students Congress goondas. He was coming out of the Vivekanand College of Burdwan.Both Naxalites and Congressites joined hands in murdering Com. Mohanlal of Manindra College, Calcutta. He was going to the college to collect his examination marksheet.

SFI evolved a line of bringing about broadest student unity for resisting that situation.

Apart from student movements on educational issues, solidarity actions with the West Bengal student comrades who were resisting semi-fascist attacks were also organised in almost all States during this period. Another important feature of this period were the campaigns against American imperialism. The most important experiences of the democratic student movement during this period were that of the resistance of the semi-fascist terror of West Bengal and of the united student struggles of Kerala on common student demands. (This is not confined to this period alone. Both these features assumed new dimensions in the later period.)

The above random survey shows the diversity of slogans raised by SFI during this period and explains the background of SFI’s emergence as the leader of the democratic student movement.

Through all these campaigns and struggles SFI established itself as a progressive all-India student organisation within that short time span.

Second Phase

The second phase of SFI development covers the period from the year 1973 to the pre-emergency days. The impact of the economic and political crisis on the character of the student movement was far more greater in this period than ever. The grave economic crisis of 1973–74 period compelled every section of the society including students to come to the streets. Large sections of the people who voted Indira Congress into power with a 2/3 majority got disillusioned with their daily experiences.

The most important feature of the period were the unprecedented spontaneous students’ upsurges of Gujarat and Bihar. In Gujarat, it led to the fall of the Chimanbhai Patel Ministry. In that state alone more than 100 people were killed in police atrocities, most of them were students and youth. In Bihar facing obnoxious attacks thousands of students participated in this movement under the leadership of J.P. In other parts of the country too, students came to the streets.

The SFI’s role here is to be reviewed properly. We did try to channelise these student protests on democratic lines and to synchronise our own independent campaigns with that of the spontaneous movements. But later we recognised the lack of enough conscious efforts on those lines. The Patna conference noted this aspect correctly:

“Reviewing the experience of united actions before (during and after) emergency it is to be noted that at times of rising struggles and mass discontent among students, joint actions have taken place but on the whole the SFI has not done sufficient work as a consistent and patient policy to foster united actions.” It can be seen that the subjective limitations of SFI in terms of its influence also contributed much to this effect.

The same period saw the aggravation of attacks on the democratic movement in West Bengal and gradual spread of it to other parts of the country. After the rigged Assembly elections of 1972, SFI and other democratic-minded students were prevented from contesting student union elections, many students were not allowed entry into educational institutions, normal functioning through meetings etc. led to physical assaults and SFI cadre continued to be murdered. This terror which continued upto 1977 claimed a toll of over 1100 comrades’ lives belonging to the democratic movement, of which 140 were SFI comrades. In Kerala also a number of SFI activists were brutally attacked and comrades like Saidali, Ashraf and Subrahmanyan were killed during this period by reactionary sections.

Facing all this, SFI consistently strived to organise agitations on student demands. In West Bengal in 1973, a movement was launched against the arbitrary introduction of a new syllabus by the Board of Secondary Education. One lakh signatures were collected from school students. In 1974 a state-wide movement was initiated by SFI on demands like kerosene, food, cheap paper and examination reform. Police repression was let loose against this movement and 300 students including 8 girls were injured. 40,000 students took part in the court arrest programme. The Government was forced to concede some demands like provision for kerosene at reasonable prices. Six left student organisations gave a call for a three-day strike on May 5, 6 and 7, 1974. Despite the terror and attacks on Chatra Parishad, this strike was a big success. The demands concerned cheap paper, books, free mid-day meals for primary school students, examination results on time, and restoration of democratic rights.

In January 1973, Tripura SFI organised a statewide agitation on the demands of tribal students. In July 10,000 signatures were collected and submitted to the concerned authorities. 1974 February witnessed a number of student demonstrations taking up the issues of educational reform and democratic rights.

The Punjab SFI launched successful struggles to demand concessional bus passes and in November 1974 conducted two statewide gherao of buses.At many places lathi-charges took place and hundreds of cases were filed. It was the most organised struggle of the Punjab students. On 5 December again a call was given for similar action, but before that the Government accepted the demand for concessions.

In Andhra Pradesh on the question of syllabus change on scientific lines for intermediate students, campaigns were launched. Meetings were held in 58 junior colleges and twenty-five thousand leaflets covered 97 junior colleges. After the organised strikes in 29 colleges the Government conceded the demands.

In Karnataka in 1974, SFI conducted a united campaign with AISF, AIYF and SYS on a 9-point charter of demands, against price rise and against the collection of capitation fees.17 comrades were arrested during this struggle.

In Assam towards the end of April 1974 the AASU started a movement on both chauvinist and genuine demands. The Government resorted to repressive actions and on 10 June 2 school students were killed in police firings. On 25 June police ransacked the hostels of Gauhati University and assaulted a number of students. SFI organised campaigns against repression and highlighted the problems of food, employment and education. On 4 July at the call of SFI 30,000 school students went on a strike in Silchar on demands like cheap books, food and kerosene.

In Haryana, the Haryana Students Union, affiliated to SFI, emerged as the militant centre of the students and conducted a series of local struggles and area-wise actions.During this period the SFI was able to play a leading role in the student agitation in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra and expand its influence. It consolidated its organisational position to be the leading force in the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. SFI also conducted sustained activities in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, and in various parts of Orissa, Rajasthan and Western U.P.

In Kerala, after mid-1972, there was a one-and-a-half-month-long struggle on a charter of demands of the students which was marked by good mobilisation of high-school students. Three strikes, two picketing programmes and one satyagraha on a state-wide scale marked this struggle. In 1974 a united strike call with other student organisations on a 7-point charter of demands was given and a complete strike was observed.During this period severe repression on the democratic student movement of Kerala was unleashed in the form of arrests and torture of students and police lathi-charges like those at Trivandrum M.G. College, Quilon S.N. College, Calicut Arts College and so on.

As already mentioned, apart from the struggles launched by SFI and other democratic sections, the student movements of Gujarat and Bihar in 1974 marked the biggest and most popular protest actions against the Congress rule. These movements led by heterogeneous bodies like the Nav Nirman Samithi and Chatra Sangarsh Samithi respectively, expressed essentially the elemental discontent of the students and youth and their frustrations regarding the educational system and socio-economic crisis.The solidarity campaigns undertaken by SFI units at various levels with the glorious struggle of the railway workers in the year 1974 is worth mentioning. Apart from this many other solidarity movements were organised by SFI during this period with workers, peasants, middle class employees, teachers and other sections of the toiling masses.

Solidarity with Vietnam and Chile underlined the anti-imperialist and democratic spirit of SFI during this time.

Second SFI Conference: In the midst of these developments the second All-India Conference of SFI was held in Calcutta in the first week of January 1974. This conference exhorted the democratic-minded students to close their ranks to defend democratic rights. The conference reviewed the organisational and agitational activities from 1970 to 1974 and chalked out future tasks. Apart from this the most important task undertaken by the 2nd All-India Conference was the discussion and adoption of the valuable document, the resolution ‘On Education’. Coming at a time when it was necessary to guide the student movement on scientific lines, this document not only systematically exposed the hollowness and reactionary nature of the existing education system, but placed a blueprint for restructuring and remoulding it on scientific and democratic lines. The period after this conference witnessed intensive campaigns among the students in various states. Using this document as an effective weapon, student actions assumed a positive orientation towards scientific educational demands during this period.