Lending support to the ongoing student protests at Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University (CCSHAU) in Hisar, Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) student wing, Association of Students for Alternative Politics (ASAP), on Tuesday joined the protest against changes in the university’s scholarship policy.
Standing in solidarity with students demanding the reversal of the unfair policy, ASAP staged a sit-in and raised slogans against the university administration, calling the new scholarship rules a grave injustice. ASAP has demanded immediate restoration of the earlier stipend system and warned of a protest at Jantar Mantar if the Haryana and central governments do not sack CCSHAU Vice-Chancellor.
Calling the new scholarship policy unjust, the ASAP stated, “Earlier, students needed to secure 70% marks to qualify for the stipend. This was a fair system and benefited a large number of students. But now, the university has changed the rules. Under the new criteria, only those who score 75% and above will be eligible. This will deprive the majority of students from availing the benefit.”
Condemning police action against protesting students, the AAP student wing stated, “We strongly oppose the brutal lathicharge on students sitting on a peaceful protest. Instead of listening to their legitimate demands, the university administration chose to suppress their voice with force and threats. But let it be clear—the voice of students will not be silenced. ASAP stands firmly with them, and we will continue to support their struggle until their demands are met.”
Urging the university to reinstate the earlier scholarship system, ASAP noted, “These students are not demanding anything new. They only want what was already in place—a fair system that ensured wider access to stipends. But instead of listening, the university is handing out lathis. Instead of protecting its students, the administration is bent on crushing them. Students raising their voices for their rights are being treated like criminals—and ASAP strongly condemns this.”
ASAP has also demanded that the Haryana and central governments sack Dr B.R. Kamboj, the Vice-Chancellor of CCSHAU. ASAP said the Vice-Chancellor must be removed from his post. “If the government fails to dismiss him, we will hold a protest at Jantar Mantar against the government and in support of the students of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University,” the AAP student wing stated.
Present during the protest were AAP Haryana State Vice President Ranbir Lohan, former DUSU Secretary Deepak Bansal, Eeshna Gupta, Dharmendra Rawat (former DUSU Sports Secretary), Vitthal Sharma, Bharat Brar (Vice President, Haryana ASAP), Shubham Rana (Secretary, Haryana ASAP), Mandeep Singh (Co-Secretary, Haryana ASAP), Aniket Singh (District President, Kurukshetra, Haryana ASAP), Kuldeep Bidhuri, Om Singh, Ayaan Rai, Yuvraj Tawar, Kamal Tiwari, Gaurav Yadav, Nikhil, Abhishek Beniwal, along with several other students.