SFI students protest against MLA Janartha over his remarks on student council elections

SFI secretary Ashish Chauhan said, “The SFI’s primary demand was the restoration of student union elections in the university. After submitting their demands, the activists staged a sit-in demonstration on the campus. We wanted to hand over our memorandum to MLA Harish Janartha. He made comments during the recently concluded monsoon session of the Assembly wherein he slammed the idea of restoration of student council elections at HPU. He had said in the House that student politics only ruins the careers of students. Along with it, we are also demanding introduction of more buses for the students on the campus. A demand to increase the hostel facility for the students has also been pending for a long time.”

Meanwhile, members of the teachers’ association, who have been on a 24-hour hunger strike, also staged a parallel protest. Carrying black banners, they handed over their charter of demands to EC members attending the meeting and warned of intensified agitation if their grievances were not addressed. The teachers accused the university administration of failing to resolve long-standing issues and highlighted the growing discontent among faculty and students alike. District SFI president Vivek Nehra and state general secretary Sunny Sekta addressed the gathering.

Given the charged atmosphere, heavy police deployment was made on the campus to prevent any law-and-order disturbance. As the students attempted to corner Janartha near the library, the police resorted to mild force to disperse them.

The police later escorted the Congress legislator out of the campus. A senior officer said, “MLA Harish Janartha was scheduled to leave in his official vehicle when protesting students blocked the way. We had to escort him to the main gate to ensure his safe exit. The situation is now under control and no serious injuries have been reported.”