Jaipur : Tensions flared at the University of Rajasthan on Friday as members of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) clashed with police while protesting a women’s empowerment event. Several protesters were forcibly detained and dragged away by police after attempting to breach barricades.
Ahead of the event, NSUI workers gathered at the university’s main gate, raising slogans and staging a protest. Police had set up barricades to block entry, but protesters climbed over them and tried to enter the Humanities Auditorium. This led to scuffles, after which police detained more than a dozen students and took them away in vehicles.
The protest was directed against a seminar organized under the banner of Marudhara Nari Sangathan. NSUI alleged that the event was linked to the ideology of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and accused the university of promoting a particular political viewpoint on campus.
Meanwhile, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) supported the event and demanded action against NSUI protesters. The situation escalated into a confrontation between the two student groups, prompting authorities to deploy heavy police presence across the campus, including riot control units.
Police also conducted checks at entry points, questioning students before allowing them inside, while continuing to detain NSUI members found within the परिसर.
NSUI leaders had earlier warned of protests if the event was not cancelled, arguing that such programs promote specific ideological agendas and disrupt the academic environment. NSUI leader Amardeep Parihar said universities should remain centers of knowledge, not platforms for ideological influence.
In response, ABVP rejected the आरोप, stating that organizing events linked to any ideology is a democratic right. University coordinator Bharat Bhushan said the seminar focused on women’s empowerment and respect, and opposing it was unjustified.
University Vice-Chancellor Alpana Kateja clarified that the auditorium had been rented to the organizing group and that the university had no official information linking the event directly to RSS.