Savitribai Phule Pune University has barred protests, demonstrations, meetings and marches on its campus over national or broader issues not directly related to the university, prompting student organisations to demand that the decision be withdrawn.
The restriction was approved by the university’s Management Council and follows what the resolution describes as repeated marches and demonstrations by organisations including the Cockroach Janata Party and Samyak Vidyarthi Andolan. According to the resolution, these protests concerned national-level questions and issues not directly connected to SPPU.
The university has cited disruption to the academic environment, possible damage to university property and additional pressure on campus security as reasons for the decision. The resolution states that protests, demonstrations and meetings concerning broader issues unrelated to the institution will not be permitted on university premises.
The proposal was moved by Bageshree Manthalkar and seconded by Dr Devidas Vaydande at a Management Council meeting. The resolution does not, in the material reported, specify how the university will define an issue as directly related to SPPU or what procedure student groups must follow if a protest has both campus and wider public dimensions.
The University Students’ Struggle Action Committee has opposed the decision, saying it curtails students’ constitutional rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Abhishek Shelkar, president of the committee, said students had a fundamental right to express their views and assemble peacefully under Articles 19(1)(a) and 19(1)(b) of the Constitution of India.
“On one hand, the state government has constituted a committee for student elections, while on the other, Pune University is suppressing students’ democracy,” Shelkar said. The committee also objected to restrictions on gatherings near the statue of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, a location it identified as important for student expression.
Student groups have questioned whether the restriction would be applied equally to organisations affiliated with the ruling political establishment. The committee has appealed to progressive student organisations to unite against the Management Council decision and has demanded the immediate withdrawal of the circular.
The dispute places the university’s management of campus space and security alongside competing claims about student participation and peaceful assembly. The reported resolution focuses on the subject matter of protests, rather than announcing a general prohibition on every form of campus demonstration.
SPPU’s response to the students’ objections, including whether it will reconsider or clarify the resolution, was not immediately available. The university’s next position will determine how the restriction is interpreted and implemented on campus.
