Students of Lucknow University

Uttar Pradesh (UP)

HRDA has issued an urgent appeal to the National Human Rights Commission of India on 15 June regarding the manhandling and brutal assault on college students who were observing a peaceful protest in Lucknow to protest against the atrocities on Dalits and minorities. The students are members of two student groups — the All India Students Association (AISA) and the Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha (SCS) – the students’ wing of the Samajwadi Party.

On June 7, 2017, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mr. Yogi Adityanath’s motorcade was going to Lucknow University. At around 5.15 PM, members of two student groups, AISA and SCS, blocked the motorcade of the chief minister which came to a halt and the students waved black flags, sat on the on the street and shouted slogans in front of the Lucknow University. The police brutally lathi-charged the peaceful protestors and dragged the students. They have been charged with serious crimes, including rioting, for "breaching the security of the chief minister" and for causing obstruction to government officials performing their duty. 

The students of SCS, have been slapped with serious charges by the police, making their release difficult. On June 8, 2017 Chief Judicial Magistrate Sandhya Srivastava sent the 11 students to four days’ judicial remand. On June 9, 2017, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Sunil Kumar of the Sessions Court rejected the bail pleas of 11 students, and, while passing the order, the court said that the offences were of serious nature and hence the applicants did not deserve bail. On June 9, 2017, a delegation of Samajwadi Party leaders, led by MLA Mr. Anand Bhadauria, met the students in prison and alleged that they were being treated like criminals and were mentally harassed.

Meanwhile, Mr, N.K. Pandey, Director, Information, Publication and Public Relations, Lucknow University, has said that eight students have been suspended and debarred from all student facilities in the university in the wake of the “security breach” of the CM’s convoy. HRDA would like to insist that according to Article 19 of the Indian Constitution every Indian citizen has the right to protest and peaceful assembly. Thus, what has been been meted out to the students are human rights violations arising from the indiscriminate use of force completely contrary to established national and international standards.