SFI Denounces FIR Against Members, Labels It as Criminalisation of Dissent
Left-wing students condemned police actions during their February 5 protest, claiming brutal detentions aimed to suppress legitimate dissent and activism.
By : PTI
Update: 2026-03-18 15:44 GMT
New Delhi: The Students' Federation of India (SFI) on Wednesday condemned as "disproportionate" the police action against its members who protested at the Ministry of Education last month.
The police have booked SFI president Adarsh M Saji, its joint secretary Aishe Ghosh, and the group's Delhi president Sooraj Elamon, according to the FIR copy accessed by PTI.
There was no reaction from the police on the development.
The left-wing group, in a statement, termed its February 5 protest a "democratic assertion" against the revocation and subsequent stay of the UGC Equity Guidelines.
It termed the guidelines an effort to address caste-based discrimination and ensure inclusivity within higher education institutions.
"Instead of engaging with these legitimate concerns, the Delhi Police resorted to brutal detention, holding protestors in custody for more than eight hours until midnight," the group said.
It said the FIRs have been filed under multiple sections, several of them non-bailable.
"The imposition of such stringent provisions against student leaders and peaceful protestors is deeply unjustifiable and exposes a calculated attempt to criminalise dissent," it said.
SFI urged the authorities to withdraw the FIRs, drop the non-bailable charges, and called upon all student outfits to stand in solidarity with the activists' right to protest.