New Delhi: The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) has issued a sharp criticism of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) shakhas being held inside central university campuses. The students’ body condemned the activities at institutions such as Delhi University, Hyderabad Central University, Rajasthan University, and Jawaharlal Nehru University.
In its official statement, the SFI Central Executive Committee said universities are spaces for students and academics, not grounds for ideological mobilisation by the RSS. It accused administrations of allowing RSS and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) units to operate on campuses with political backing, which it said endangered student safety and eroded institutional autonomy.
The statement, signed by SFI president Adarsh M. Saji and general secretary Srijan Bhattacharyya, alleged that instead of defending academic freedom, universities were enabling the entry of the RSS. It described this as part of a wider campaign to weaken critical thought, scientific inquiry, and democratic rights in higher education.
As the RSS marks 100 years, SFI underlined that the organisation had opposed India’s independence movement and secular values. It described leaders such as Vinayak Savarkar and M.S. Golwalkar as promoters of a regressive ideology. According to the SFI, granting the RSS space in universities amounted to an attack on India’s Constitution and cultural memory.
The students’ body called upon teachers, students, and all democratic voices to oppose what it termed the saffronisation of education. It appealed for collective action to defend campuses as inclusive and secular spaces for learning.
