Patna: Students affiliated with the All India Students’ Association (AISA) staged a protest at Patna University on Saturday during the ongoing senate meeting, triggering tense scenes and a confrontation with police on the campus.
Police locked the university gates and attempted to stop the protesters from entering the premises. However, several students, including women protesters, climbed the gates and raised slogans against the police action. The students shouted slogans including “Policiya daman band karo” and “PU hamara-aapka, nahi kisi ke baap ka”. Shortly afterwards, the protesters broke the gate lock and entered the campus. Police later stopped them near the Jayaprakash Narayan Auditorium, where the senate meeting was being held. Heavy police deployment remained in place outside the venue.
Student Voices and Demands
Saba Afreen, a university student, said, “We came to our college to meet vice-chancellor for a meeting, but he called the police and closed the gates. We are being thrown out of our own university.” Another student, Adarsh Gupta, said, “If our demands are not heard in the Senate meeting, then whose demands will be heard?” He alleged police frequently entered the campus and harassed students. The protesters demanded adequate budget allocation for student-related work, withdrawal of fee hikes and an end to alleged police repression on campus.
Aftermath and Assurance
Following the senate meeting, the Proctor and Dean met a delegation of students and assured them their demands would be addressed soon. Pirbahore police station SHO Mohd Sajjad Gaddi said the protest remained peaceful and no one was detained.
The incident highlights ongoing tensions between students and university administration over issues of funding, fees, and police presence on campus. The AISA, a left-leaning student organization, has been vocal in criticizing the university’s policies.
