ABVP accuses govt of ‘slowly destroying’ Sardar Patel varsity

Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) state executive member Vishal Thakur on Monday accused the state government of “slowly destroying” Sardar Patel University (SPU), Mandi. The university was established in 2022 as a major educational institution for the region.

Addressing a press conference here, Thakur said the university was progressing well until the change of government in December 2022, after which its jurisdiction was drastically reduced.

He said SPU earlier administered 125-130 colleges, but only 44 colleges remained under it, as colleges in Kangra and Chamba had been shifted back to Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla.

He demanded that the state government restore the university’s original jurisdiction and complete the land transfer process for establishing a permanent campus.

Thakur also condemned the alleged lathi-charge on ABVP activists during their December 3, 2025, Assembly protest in Dharamsala, where they were raising an 11-point demand charter.

He claimed even female students were manhandled by male police personnel, calling it “shameful and unacceptable”.

Issuing a warning, Thakur said that if the government failed to act on these demands, the ABVP would intensify its agitation across the state.