SFI Sweeps Pondicherry University Elections: A Decisive Blow to RSS-BJP's Campus Control
Akhila E
The over-a-decade rule of the BJP-RSS has marked one of the darkest periods for higher education in India, as universities across the country have been systematically stripped of their autonomy, diversity, and democratic ethos. Instead of nurturing critical thinking and scientific temper, the Modi government has pursued an aggressive agenda of saffronisation, recasting academic spaces to reflect the ideological framework of the RSS. Institutions that once symbolised intellectual freedom such as Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Hyderabad Central University (HCU), Delhi University, and Pondicherry University have been turned into battlegrounds of political interference and administrative authoritarianism.
Parallel to this political assault, gender relations within campuses have been deeply affected by the misogynistic ideology rooted in the RSS worldview. The RSS and its affiliates promote a regressive notion of womanhood, one that confines women to traditional, subordinate roles and discourages their autonomy in public life. This patriarchal outlook has translated into a hostile environment for women and gender minorities in higher education. Students across the country have been raising their voices against the increasing instances of sexual harassment, gender-based violence, and the systematic erosion of democratic spaces in higher educational institutions. These incidents are not isolated, they reflect a deeper crisis in campus governance and the state of basic student rights in India today. From its very inception, the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) has stood at the forefront of student struggles, raising critical issues, questioning administrative irregularities, and defending the rights of the student community.
The fearless movement that began in Pondicherry University in 2013, following the Kavya and Vidya issue that exposed incidents of ragging and sexual harassment, marked the beginning of a decade-long resistance on the campus. Ever since the 2013 incidents, the university has repeatedly attempted to shield the accused and suppress the survivors. SFI has categorically exposed these cover-ups and demanded transparency, accountability, and justice from the university authorities. Throughout these years, SFI has remained unwavering in its commitment to defend campus democracy and build spaces rooted in equality, justice, and freedom of expression.
The struggle for gender justice and democratic rights reached a critical moment on October 9, 2025, when the SFI Pondicherry University Unit organised a protest in front of the Administrative Block. The protest demanded re-constitution of the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) as per the UGC regulations, 2015. It sought free and fair inquiries into complaints of sexual harassment which also includes the faculties as abusers. The growing number of complaints are a direct reflection of institutional apathy and the lack of gender sensitivity that pervades the university system.
The administration’s response was repressive and violent. Twenty-four students were arrested and detained after police forces were allowed to freely enter the campus and attacked the protesting students. This blatant state intervention exposed the shrinking democratic space in universities under the current regime, where student voices are criminalised instead of being heard. The university administration put the protesting students in the hands of police force which caused a severe clash between them, which led the incident to become a national issue. In the aftermath, SFI called for a nationwide protest gathering regarding this matter. Since then, the Left-led students’ movement has consistently challenged the authoritarian tendencies of the university administration. At the same time other progressive student organisations went silent and were hiding in fear of administrative oppression.
The strong opposition voices of the Left continue to echo through the corridors of Pondicherry University, confronting an administration that is guarded by right-wing functionaries rather than by principles of justice and democracy. Shockingly, instead of addressing the grievances of students, the university administration has resorted to protecting the perpetrators. Faculty members accused of sexual harassment have been allowed to continue taking classes even after formal complaints were lodged. While students who dared to speak up against such injustices were brutally beaten up by the police on the campus and taken into custody. Such acts reveal the inhumane and irresponsible attitude of the administration and its attempt to silence any form of dissent.
Following the protest, in the history of PU, first ICC elections were conducted along with the Students’ Council elections. Despite heavy interference from the Sangh administration and overt support from the university authorities for the ABVP, students decisively rejected the right-wing organisation. In the November 8, 2025 elections, the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) along with the alliance of AISF secured a clean sweep, winning the full panel and emerging as the single organisation with a majority. In the general seats, SFI won 4 out of 5. And SFI won all the executive council seats with great margin. In every corner of Pondicherry University, mainland and island alike, students have shown that they refuse to surrender their rights, their dignity, and their voice. SFI also swept the ICC and council elections in all regional campuses of Pondicherry University, including Mahe, Karaikal, Port Blair, and Lawspet.
However, the election process was not free from intimidation. The sudden seat increase in Category 3 (PhD) was strategically used by faculties affiliated with Akhil Bharatiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh (ABRSM) to pressure research scholars to contest on behalf of the ABVP. Many students faced threats and coercion when they attempted to stand for progressive and left organisations. There were several incidents of death threat calls from local BJP leaders to students. These actions reveal how deeply the RSS machinery has penetrated academic institutions, weaponising administrative structures to influence student politics and suppress opposition voices.
Amidst all the repression and ideological interference, the victory of the SFI-led progressive front represents more than just an electoral win, it marks a renewed assertion of student unity and democratic values. The movement at Pondicherry University stands as part of a larger national struggle to reclaim campuses as spaces of equality, freedom, and justice.
The efforts of students to ensure a gender-sensitive, inclusive, and democratic university continue to challenge the Sangh’s attempts at ideological control. Incidents of sexual harassment, gender-based discrimination, and institutional victim-blaming have become disturbingly frequent, with administrations often shielding the perpetrators instead of protecting survivors. The absence of effective and independent ICCs, coupled with the normalisation of moral policing by right-wing groups, has further restricted women’s mobility, freedom of expression, and participation in campus politics. With the SFI-led council now in power, the echo of this resistance will reverberate through the administrative corridors, keeping alive the spirit of student movements that envision universities as spaces for critical thought, gender justice, and social transformation.
The decade-long struggle of SFI in Pondicherry University stands as a testament to the unyielding spirit of the Left, a struggle that continues, against all odds, for a democratic and progressive campus.
