SFI Presents Memo to HP University EC, Gheraos MLA; Protest Turns Violent
The Students’ Federation of India (SFI), Himachal Pradesh University unit, today submitted a memorandum to the candidates of the Executive Council (EC) and gheraoed (surrounded) EC member and Shimla Urban MLA, Harish Janartha, pressing for various student demands. The protest escalated into a clash between police and students, resulting in lathi-charges that left several students injured, with three reportedly wounded.
Following the clash, the students staged a dharna (sit-in protest) to emphasize their demands.
Elaborating on the issues during the dharna, SFI HP University Campus Joint Secretary Comrade Aashish stated that student union elections have been banned in Himachal Pradesh since 2013. “This has had a negative impact on student politics. Without proper representation, students cannot effectively place their demands before the administration, leading to a continuous erosion of the character of student politics. Therefore, SFI unequivocally demands the immediate restoration of direct student union elections to safeguard students’ democratic rights and re-establish student politics as a better alternative,” he said.
SFI Shimla District President Vivek Nehra further highlighted the issue of reservation. “The 103rd Constitutional Amendment in 2019 provided 10% reservation in higher education for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS). However, Himachal Pradesh University has completely failed to implement this quota for students, which is a blatant violation of the Constitution. SFI clearly demands that EWS reservation be implemented in higher education without delay.”
SFI also raised other pressing concerns of the university. They pointed out the severe hostel shortage, noting that while nearly 4000 students study at HPU, only about 1200 are provided hostel facilities. “Despite being the state’s premier government university, there is no proper accommodation system for students. We demand the immediate construction of new hostels,” a representative said.
SFI University Unit President Comrade Yogi, while presenting demands before the EC, alleged serious irregularities. “Information obtained through RTI reveals that 70% of teachers in the university were appointed based on fake documents. These teachers are deteriorating the academic atmosphere and implementing the agenda of the RSS. They are even openly participating in political activities, which is a violation of university ordinances. Therefore, SFI demands a judicial inquiry into these fraudulent appointments and disciplinary action against teachers involved in politics.”
The SFI also strongly opposed the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020, calling it “anti-people.” “The NEP is being used to saffronize educational institutions. Education is being sold like a market commodity, evident from the removal of progressive authors’ books from the syllabus. Furthermore, there is a continuous attempt to hand over education to private hands through the NEP, which SFI openly opposes,” Comrade Yogi added.
The Campus President also addressed the issue of non-teaching staff recruitment. “An advertisement for posts was issued in 2019, but the university administration failed to conduct the recruitment. A fresh advertisement was released in 2021, yet the administration has been unsuccessful in completing the process. When SFI filed an RTI, it was revealed that the university has looted approximately 4.5 crore rupees from students through this process. We demand that the recruitment for non-teaching staff be conducted at the earliest.”
Additionally, he condemned the university’s policy of denying hostel facilities to students based on FIRs lodged against them.
HPU Unit President Yograj presented all these demands to the EC, urging immediate action to resolve the problems faced by students. He warned that if the demands are not met promptly, SFI would mobilize students for a larger agitation against the administration, for which the administration itself would be responsible.
