Fast for cow shelter in a journalism university — by Congress’s student wing
The NSUI organised a protest and a day-long fast, calling for the construction of a cow shelter at Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication in Bhopal
The fast was organised by NSUI at the Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication. The National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), the Congress’s student wing, went on a day-long fast demanding the construction of a cow shelter inside a state-run journalism university in Bhopal.
The fast was organised by NSUI at the Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication. It was led by NSUI state secretary Aman Pathan, a sixth-semester BA (Journalism and Communication – Double) student.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Pathan said, “Land was allotted in 2017 for the construction of a gaushala. Our protest was to construct what was promised since that land has been lying vacant for years. If the university can’t build the gaushala, then it should build a sports complex there.”
Pathan has also said the protest had the blessings of senior Congress leaders in the state.
“The fast received political backing from Bhopal North MLA Atif Aqueel, who interacted with the protesting students through a video call. Calling the demand for a gaushala justified, he announced that he would donate a cow towards the initiative. Former minister P C Sharma also extended his support, saying that the construction of a cow shelter is not only a matter of faith, but is also linked to environmental protection, compassion, and social responsibility,” Pathan said.
The Journalism department of the university issued a notice to Pathan, seeking an explanation after photographs surfaced showing him participating in the demonstration.
The notice issued by Dr Rakhi Tiwari, the head of the Journalism Department, read, “The university administration has received photographs in which you are seen sitting/lying near the statue of Dada Makhanlal Chaturvedi, along with other students, during a protest programme. You are hereby directed to clarify whether prior permission was taken for holding or participating in the said protest at the aforementioned place.”
The notice further directed the student to submit documentary proof, if any, of permission granted by the authorities. “You are instructed to submit a copy of the permission, if available, to the department by 10.30 am on February 17, 2026,” it said, adding, “The information received from you shall be forwarded to the University Disciplinary Committee for further necessary action.”
During the protest, Aman Pathan’s health deteriorated, prompting his admission to the university’s Dhanvantari Hospital, where doctors declared his condition stable after administering first aid.
University Registrar Dr P Sasikala later visited the students and assured them of a “sensitive dialogue” on the demand. According to the NSUI, Sasikala “pledged to convey the students’ demands to the university management” and assured them of a “positive solution” regarding the construction of a cowshed. The university is yet to respond to requests for comment.
A call for a gaushala, long seen as part of the ideological vocabulary of the BJP and its affiliates, has rarely featured in the Congress student wing’s campus politics.
NSUI leaders, however, have framed the demand as “humanitarian” rather than ideological. In a statement issued after the fast, NSUI said it had urged the university administration to “take an early decision on this public-interest and humane demand and initiate the process for construction of a gaushala within the university campus”.
Share
