By Special Correspondent
Bhopal: The National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) on Monday staged a significant protest in the state capital, demanding the reinstatement of student union elections in Madhya Pradesh, action to prevent alleged vote rigging nationwide, and strict measures against irregular practices in private universities and nursing colleges in the state.
Led by NSUI State Vice President Ravi Parmar and Bhopal District President Akshay Tomar, thousands of student activists began a peaceful march from the Pradesh Congress Committee office towards Raj Bhavan. Holding party flags and placards, the demonstrators raised slogans in support of student rights and transparency in higher education. However, the police halted the march at Red Cross Square by installing barricades, leading to heated confrontations and pushing between police personnel and NSUI workers. Several protesters climbed the barricades and continued slogan shouting for nearly two hours.
Following this, the police detained over a dozen leaders, including NSUI State In-charge Ravi Dangi, State Vice President Ravi Parmar, District President Akshay Tomar, State General Secretary Syed Altamas, along with Lucky Chaubey, Amit Hatia, Ghulam Haidar, Dheeraj Verma, Animesh Gondli, Viraj Yadav, Mausam Dehria, Shukharan Mishra, Aditya Chanal and Raj Thakur.
Ravi Dangi asserted that NSUI’s struggle extends beyond campus elections to ensuring transparency and accountability in education. Congress spokesperson Vivek Tripathi said the protest exposed the government’s fear of student representation. Parmar and Tomar added that denying student elections undermines democratic rights, warning of a statewide agitation if demands remain ignored.
