Restore student elections, demands HPU youth body
The Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) unit of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) today staged a protest on the university campus, demanding the restoration of Student Council Association (SCA) elections, which were discontinued by the state government several years ago.
During the protest, ABVP campus secretary Avinash Sharma said the government was not restoring SCA elections in the university as it feared the emergence of strong leaders from among the students. He also highlighted the absence of a permanent Vice-Chancellor at the university, which had, he said, led to delays and stalled administrative processes.
The ABVP also called for the timely re-evaluation of results and filling of the over 350 vacant non-teaching positions to enhance administrative efficiency and ensure timely processing of students’ results.
The student body also called for laboratory spaces in certain departments that lacked proper buildings, and raised issues related to the hostel allocation process. The ABVP criticised the university administration for failing to adequately accommodate top-ranking students and those from the economically weaker section (EWS) category. “Despite being established 55 years ago, the university continues to face persistent problems, including insufficient library capacity and issues with non-subsidised seat fees,” the campus secretary added. The ABVP has warned university authorities of intensifying its movement and organising state-wide protests if their demands are not fulfilled soon.