Students at Banaras Hindu University Keep Up Protest Seeking Chief Proctor’s Removal

Outside the central office of Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi, students have been sitting for several days. Most of them are from the ABVP unit. They say they will not leave until the university removes the Chief Proctor and takes clear steps on campus safety and basic facilities. One of the students, Puneet, spoke to reporters at the site. “As you can see, every single student is out on strike,” he said. “We’ll keep protesting right here at the central office until our demands are met.” He named the main points: the Chief Proctor must go, streetlights need fixing, roads and hostels need attention, and students must feel safe. He added that the university has not spoken to them properly and has turned down their demands so far. The anger also links back to a recent event. Students want an inquiry into how a university hall was allotted free of charge for a programme involving AISA President Neha Bora. They say remarks made at that event about the Chief Minister and the Prime Minister were not appropriate. Puneet made it clear the issue is not about stopping anyone’s programme. It is about the university giving free space and support in a way students find wrong. Over the days the protest has taken different shapes. Students have sat in, raised slogans, and held other forms of demonstration. Some earlier observed hunger strikes as well. The core demand remains the same. They want the administration to accept the points in writing. Campus life is what worries many of them most. Streetlights that do not work, roads in poor shape, and hostel problems make daily living harder, especially for students who come from other states. Safety after dark is a constant concern. Parents who send their children to BHU expect a secure and functional place to study. When these basics slip, the whole academic atmosphere feels the strain. University officials have stayed largely quiet on the specific demands. No detailed statement has come out addressing each issue. Students say they are prepared to stay as long as it takes. The message from the protest site is straightforward. Fix the Chief Proctor question, sort out the infrastructure problems, and make the campus safer for everyone studying there. Until that happens, the sit-in continues.