Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) Main Building
Our protest will encompass all these issues,” said Siddhant Jambhulkar of NSUI . “We are demanding equal treatment for all student organisations because events associated with the right-wing ideology are easily permitted on campus, while requests by other student organisations to hold programmes or protests are not allowed many times,” said Abhishek Shelkar of University Students Struggle Action Committee. Pune: Students from various groups have come together for a joint agitation against Savitribai Phule Pune University ’s (SPPU) alleged restriction on peaceful protests, stringent campus access rules and ideological discrimination. The increased checks on university gates and control on students entering the main building premises are creating an atmosphere of fear and making the public university a closed space. The meeting was attended by representatives of NSUI, Republican Vidyarthi Parishad, University Students’ Struggle Action Committee, All India Students’ Federation, SFI, Samyak Vidyarthi Andolan and New Students and Youth Federation, among others.
The students also cited a circular issued in 2024 that reportedly required students to seek permission eight days in advance to hold protests and provided for legal action against unauthorised events. “Alleged irregularities in SIR, NEET paper leak etc may not be directly related to the university. But as citizens of this country, it affects us all. The university can’t restrict us from protesting peacefully against national or social issues.
This is in response to the university’s circular earlier this month, which restricts protests, rallies and other events not directly related to SPPU inside the campus.
They will be holding a peaceful march from the university’s Jayakar library to its main building on Nov 2. The students, who call themselves progressive student groups, met on Thursday and planned to launch the ‘Save University Democracy Movement’ to protect students’ constitutional rights, freedom of expression and democratic space on campus.