THE Central Executive Committee of the Students’ Federation of India in a statement issued on March 18, 2015 has condemned the brutal lathicharge on the students’ march to Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha in Shimla on March 18, injuring a large number of students including girl students. State secretary Suresh Sarwal and president Puneet Dhamta were also injured in the lathicharge. Thousands of students had rallied at the call of the SFI against a host of anti-student policies in the state and a heavy police deployment had been made in Shimla since the morning itself. Police started the lathicharge on the students without any provocation, immediately after the inauguration of the march by all India president V Sivadasan. It needs to be mentioned that this march to Vidhan Sabha was preceded by a jatha across the state demanding roll back of fee hike, increase in university’s budget, roll back of RUSA/CBCS and to restore the students’ union elections. This jatha got a lot of support from students as well as the broader masses and it is this support which has forced the Congress government to act in such desperation. SFI has led many a heroic battles of students in Himachal Pradesh and forced back many of the anti-student moves made by various state governments. We are confident that the student community of the state will be victorious this time as well. The statement noted that the educational policies affecting the students of HP, is linked intrinsically to the neo-liberal push at the national level, which is now being given shape of the National Educational Policy.