Protest against reckless academic reforms in Delhi Univeristy

A joint protest march and Dharna was organized by various teachers’ and students’ organizations on 24th August in the North Campus of Delhi University against the reckless manner in which the host of academic ‘reforms’ including the proposed 4 years undergraduate course and the meta university concept are being pushed through in the university. The earlier experience is for all to see- inflated scores on one hand, while mass failures on the other; acute crisis of infrastructural facilities in various colleges, recurring administrative lapses have become order of the day for the students.

More than 600 teachers and students marched from the Vivekananda statue to the VC office, going through various colleges of the campus. The authoritarian attitude of the administration was clear once again, when for the first time in the last 40 years, the gates of the VC office were blocked by police barricades. It was only after the relentless pressure of the students and the teachers that the proctor was forced to give orders for removing the barricades.

The dharna at the VC office was addressed by: Prashant (AIDSO), Sunny (AISA), Durgesh (AISF), Sachin (CTF) and Sunand (SFI).

SFI resolves to intensify the fight against the ongoing process of neo-liberal reforms which are being pushed through at the diktats of the UPA government, ruining the future of the student community and declares that today’s protest rally only marks the beginning of a series of protest actions and broader movement in the University.

SFI CEC congratulate Himachal Pradesh unit for impressive victory

The Central Executive Committee of the Students’ Federation of India congratulates the students of Himachal Pradesh and the state unit of SFI for registering an impressive victory in the SCA elections. The elections were held on 23rd of August.

Out of the 300 panel posts throughout the state SFI candidates have been victorious in 102. Himachal Pradesh University once again confirmed itself to be a bastion of SFI. Out of the 49 Department Representatives SFI candidates won in 46. ABVP with 2 has been the nearest finisher!!! NSUI won 1 DR post. In the four central posts SFI panel registered its ever highest victory in the history of the SCA elections of HPU. Rahul Chauhan won the President post by a margin of 713 votes. The POST OF THE Vice President was won by Priyanka Chauhan by margin of 570 votes. Vikram Kayet and Amit Kumar won the posts of General Secretary and Joint Secretary respectively. The margins were 696 and 751.
 

SFI panel won completely in 18 colleges. Out of the four panel posts SFI won three in 8 colleges. In Shimla district SFI won 35 panel posts out of the total 48. SFI swept the election in the colleges of Shimla town. SFI candidates won all the 16 panel posts in the four colleges(Kotshira Government College, Rajakiya Kanya Mahavidyalay,Sanjoli College and Shimla Evening College) of Shimla town.
 

The victory is specially significant because the BJP government in the state with the aid of the state administration and the College and University authorities has been constantly hatching conspiracies against the SFI. Particularly in the HPU campus the Vice Chancellor Prof A D N Bajpayee had misused all his power to defeat SFI and create favourable ground for the ABVP. Blue eyed boy of the RSS, Prof Bajpayee had openly urged students to support the ABVP candidates.besides being regularly participating in open programmes of Viswa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal he Recently even inaugurated the office of VHP at Shimla. He was unable to digest the huge victory of SFI last year also and delayed the oath taking ceremony of the elected SCA by 7 months. False cases against the SFI activists were filed and six SFI activists including the elected President, General Secretary and Vice President were put behind bars for 29 days.
 

The victory of SFI in HPU and the colleges of Himachal Pradesh is a source of tremendous inspiration for the rank and file of SFI throughout the country and will strengthen the nationwide struggle for campus democracy. It is to be noted that only a few days ago SFI has also performed well in the College and University Union elections of Rajasthan also. The CEC of SFI once again congratulates the students of Himachal and our valiant comrades for registering such an emphatic win against all odds.