Volunteers of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) entered the Indore collectorate after removing barricades during a protest over the lack of basic facilities in government colleges across Madhya Pradesh.
According to eyewitnesses, the protesters first gathered outside the collectorate and raised slogans before attempting to enter the premises through the main gate.
Police personnel stopped them at the entrance. The protesters, however, removed the barricades and entered the collectorate. They were also seen vigorously shaking the closed channel gate of the complex.
Despite the confrontation, police said no untoward incident took place during the protest.
Pandhrinath police station in-charge Satish Patel said no case had been registered in connection with the demonstration so far.
ABVP lists 18 demands
The protest was organised by the ABVP’s Indore Maha Nagar unit over what the student organisation described as inadequate basic facilities in government-run colleges.
ABVP Indore Maha Nagar unit secretary Devesh Gurjar said the organisation had informed the local administration in advance about its planned protest and intended to submit a memorandum outlining its demands.
Gurjar said the protesters submitted the memorandum, addressed to Madhya Pradesh Higher Education Minister Inder Singh Parmar, to an administrative officer.
The memorandum contained 18 demands, focusing primarily on basic infrastructure and facilities required by students in government colleges.
Among the demands were:
Adequate security arrangements in colleges
Parking facilities
Safe drinking water
Clean and functional toilets
Sufficient benches in classrooms
Adequate fans
Proper lighting in classrooms
Gurjar said the students had planned a peaceful demonstration but became angry after they were stopped at the main gate.
“We were stopped at the main gate of the collectorate and treated unfairly, which angered our workers,” he said.
Police say no case registered
The protest took place amid heightened attention to student-related issues and growing political discussion around concerns affecting young people.
However, police said the situation at the collectorate remained under control.
Pandhrinath police station in-charge Satish Patel said there was no untoward incident during the demonstration and confirmed that no case had been registered so far.
The ABVP, meanwhile, maintained that its protest was aimed at drawing the administration’s attention to the condition of government colleges and pressing for improvements in facilities available to students.
The memorandum submitted by the organisation now puts the focus on the administration’s response to the 18 demands raised by the student body.
