Jaipur, Aug 17 (PTI) A group of students burnt an effigy of the state’s higher education minister and confronted the police on Thursday during a protest in Rajasthan University here over the government’s decision to not hold student union elections.
In an order on August 12, the state’s higher education department stated that it would not hold students’ union elections in higher educational institutions during the 2023-24 academic session.
Student leaders of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and those wanting to contest the elections as independent candidates have been holding separate protests on the campus for the last three days.
On Thursday, around 40 students closed the main door of the university and confronted police personnel when they tried opening it. They burnt an effigy of higher education minister Rajendra Singh Yadav.
However, the situation was brought under control within minutes and the university gate was reopened, sources said.
“We demand that the government hold student union elections,” NSUI spokesperson Ramesh Bhati said.
Bhati added that NSUI activists have been sitting on hunger strike from Monday and a few independent student leaders have also carried out protests in support of the demand, Bhati said.
On Monday, members of the RSS-backed ABVP held a sit-in protest at the Vice-Chancellor’s Secretariat of Rajasthan University against the state government’s decision.
Hushiyar Singh Meena, ABVP’s national secretary, alleged the ruling Congress government in the state decided against holding the elections as it was aware that the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) would face defeat.
“Our members continue to raise demand for elections. Student union elections are the first step for strengthening democracy,” Meena said.
ABVP members have been staging agitations at the University of Rajasthan here and several other districts on the matter, he added.
The state government’s decision to cancel student union elections for 2023-24 came after a meeting of the higher education department with the vice-chancellors of state-funded universities on several issues, official sources said.
The vice-chancellors expressed concern over the use of money in the elections and disturbance in the academic works due to the process, the sources said.
Taking their views on board, the government decided not to conduct student union elections in the 2023-24 session, they added. PTI SDA RPA
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