SFI confronts Shimla MLA Janartha, demands return of student elections

The simmering discontent among students at Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) spilled onto the streets on Saturday as members of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) gheraoed Shimla (Urban) MLA and HPU Executive Committee member Harish Janartha. The protest was sparked by what SFI termed the administration’s continued indifference towards the long-pending demand for restoration of Student Council Association (SCA) elections.

The confrontation took place while Janartha was on his way to attend the Executive Council’s meeting. SFI activists blocked his way and raised slogans, insisting that elections, suspended for over a decade, be immediately restored. A brief scuffle broke out when police personnel and Quick Reaction Team (QRT) attempted to disperse the crowd, leading to heightened tensions on campus.

Following the clash, the SFI staged a sit-in protest inside the university grounds. Addressing the gathering, Ashish, Joint Secretary of SFI at HPU, argued that the suspension of SCA elections had severely curtailed students’ democratic rights. “Without elected representatives, students have no effective channel to raise their grievances with the administration,” he said.

Raising concerns about infrastructure, Ashish pointed out that despite the university having nearly 4,000 students, hostel facilities cater to barely 1,200.

Campus president Yogi leveled serious allegations of irregularities in faculty appointments. Citing information obtained under RTI, he claimed that nearly 70% of the teachers had been recruited using fake documents. “These fraudulent appointments have not only vitiated the academic atmosphere but also enabled open political activity by faculty, which is against university rules,” Yogi said, demanding a judicial inquiry.

He further criticised the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, describing it as “anti-people and anti-student,” alleging that it sought to saffronise education, dilute progressive content and pave the way for privatisation. The protest concluded with the SFI submitting a detailed memorandum of demands to the Executive Council members.