Campus Times | Lucknow

An indefinite protest by three expelled students of the University of Lucknow entered its second day on Wednesday, drawing support from several political parties. The sit-in began on Tuesday and has continued for more than 24 hours without any formal outreach from university officials, according to the protesting students.

The protest was initiated after the university administration expelled three students in connection with an incident at the Vice-Chancellor’s office on April 28. The expelled students are Prem Prakash Yadav, MA Hindi first-year student; Shashi Prakash, MA Public Administration first-year student; and Harshit Shukla, LLB second-semester student. All three were earlier suspended before being issued expulsion orders.

Students continue sit-in, demand dialogue

The expelled students have been staging a peaceful sit-in on the university campus since Tuesday. They are demanding revocation of their expulsion orders and have also raised concerns regarding fee hikes and alleged irregularities in the university’s fee structure.

The protesters claim that despite the ongoing agitation, no senior university official has visited the protest site or initiated any formal dialogue. They stated that the indefinite protest will continue until their demands are addressed.

Samajwadi Party delegation visits protest site

On Wednesday, a delegation of the Samajwadi Party visited the protest site and extended support to the students. The visit was made on the directions of Samajwadi Party National President and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.

The delegation interacted with the protesting students and assured them of support, calling it a democratic struggle for students’ rights and access to education. Party representatives also attempted to meet the Vice-Chancellor, but officials at the Proctor’s Office informed them that the Vice-Chancellor was unavailable at the time.

The delegation included Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha state president Vineet Kushwaha, Trishul Dhari Singh, Karunesh Dwivedi, and Anil Yadav.

Earlier, former Lucknow University Students’ Union General Secretary and senior Samajwadi Party leader Ram Singh Rana also met the protesting students and expressed solidarity.

Congress leaders also extend support

The Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee also extended support to the agitation. State Congress Vice President Dinesh Singh and party spokesperson Sudhanshu visited the protest site and met the students.

The leaders said that access to education is a fundamental right and that students should not face punitive action for raising concerns through democratic means.

Students demand revocation of expulsion orders

The protesting students maintain that their movement is not politically motivated but is focused on issues related to education, democratic rights, and student representation within universities.

Their key demands include the immediate withdrawal of expulsion orders, a review of disciplinary action taken against students, and an impartial investigation into the fee-related issues raised by them.

Several other students, including Prince Prakash, Prem Yadav, Harshit Shukla, Abhishek Srivastava, and others, also joined the sit-in in support of the protest and demanded greater transparency in university administration.