A decade of student protest in India: What made the youth hit the streets?

As protests erupt over the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission, here's a timeline of student movements in the past decade that shaped India's political and social landscape through youth activism

Student protests in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj continued for the fourth consecutive day as demonstrators rallied for the reinstatement of the ‘one day, one exam’ policy for the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) entrance exams. The students are calling on the UPPSC to return to the previous system, where exams were completed in a single day to avoid potential confusion and ensure fairness.

 

Student protests are not new on the global stage, and India is no exception. From the 2016 uproar over Rohith Vemula’s suicide to the more recent protests following the rape and murder of a junior doctor in Kolkata, the country has seen waves of student-led movements over the past decade. These protests have often driven rapid policy changes and the introduction of new laws, showcasing the impact of student activism on India’s political and social landscape.

 

 

Let’s delve into a brief timeline of student protests in the past 10 years that pushed civil society and government to rethink the governance model in India.

 

Rohit Vemula suicide protest

 

Rohith Chakravarthi Vemula (30 January 1989 – 17 January 2016) was a PhD scholar at the University of Hyderabad and a member of the Ambedkar Students’ Association, an Ambedkarite student organisation. From July to December 2015, the university withheld his Rs 25,000 monthly stipend, reportedly due to his activism, although the university claimed it was due to ‘paperwork’ issues.

 

On 5 August, the university initiated an inquiry against Vemula and four other ASA members following an alleged altercation with ABVP leader N Susheel Kumar. Days later, BJP MP Bandaru Dattatreya urged the HRD Minister to address what he called “casteist, extremist, and anti-national politics” at the university. In September, all five students were suspended, a decision upheld in December.

 

On 17 January 2016, Vemula died by suicide, sparking nationwide protests and debates over caste discrimination in Indian universities. However, a later report by the District Scrutiny Committee in Andhra Pradesh stated that neither Rohith nor his mother was classified as Dalits.

 

‘Where is Najeeb’ protests

 

Najeeb Ahmed, a first-year MSc Biotechnology student at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), vanished on October 15, 2016, shortly after moving into the Mahi-Mandavi hostel. His family and the JNU Students’ Union believe his disappearance is linked to an assault by nine members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, who allegedly confronted him for votes in an upcoming hostel election.

 

Ahmed’s family called for a thorough investigation into both the assault and his disappearance. On November 25, 2016, his mother, Fatima Nafees, filed a habeas corpus petition with the Delhi High Court, asserting that the Delhi Police had made no progress in the month since her son’s disappearance. Ahmed’s disappearance led to a nationwide protest by the students demanding justice for him and a quick inquiry into the matter.

 

JNU’s ‘azadi’ protest

 

On February 9, 2016, former members of the Democratic Students Union (DSU) held a cultural protest at Jawaharlal Nehru University, condemning the ‘judicial killing of Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhat’ and expressing support for ‘the Kashmiri people’s struggle for their democratic right to self-determination’. Kanhaiya Kumar, a member of the CPI-affiliated AISF, was arrested by Delhi Police, sparking strong responses from JNU students, faculty, alumni, and opposition parties. Meanwhile, the RSS-backed student group ABVP ‘thanked’ the police for the arrest, labelling the protesters ‘anti-nationals’.

 

In response to the arrest of Kanhaiya Kumar and other students, widespread protests erupted at universities and cities across India. Students and teachers from various universities and colleges organised rallies to voice their opposition. In the city of Hyderabad, demonstrators had clashed with right-wing student activists, according to reports.

 

Anti-CAA protests

 

Until December 15, 2019, Shaheen Bagh was little known to most Delhi residents. This changed on a cold December evening when reports surfaced of police violence against Jamia Millia Islamia students protesting the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Moved by the news, the women of Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh area, about a kilometer from the Jamia campus, mobilised a peaceful sit-in against the CAA.

 

The protest quickly grew into a nationwide movement, with similar demonstrations spreading across India, drawing international attention. Since then, many student leaders, including Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, have faced arrest, with some remaining detained to this day.

 

Protests against Agnipath scheme

 

In June 2019, the union government announced the ‘Agnipath’ scheme for a short-term, contract-based recruitment system for the Indian army, navy, and air force, to manage the growing salary and pension expenses in the defence sector.

The launch of the scheme triggered widespread protests in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, where youth took to the streets to voice their disappointment. The demonstrations soon turned chaotic, with blocked roads, loud slogans, and even instances of train burnings, reflecting deep discontent.

 

Aspiring students were particularly aggrieved as jawan-level recruitment had been on hold since 2019. They argued that instead of filling permanent positions with pension and long-term benefits, the new scheme only offered four-year contracts, without pension or any post-service benefits.

   

Bihar teacher recruitment protest

 

In 2023, protests erupted across Bihar after the state government announced that future school appointments would be through a written exam conducted by the Bihar Public Service Commission, granting the recruits state employee status. The new rules sparked clashes in Patna and beyond, with reports of multiple injuries. Students who had already cleared national and state teacher eligibility tests opposed the revised recruitment policy.

 

On the other hand, existing teachers demanded ‘equal status’ without the exam. Tensions escalated when the state government removed the domicile requirement for new recruits, opening the positions to all Indian citizens. Protesters had staged a large demonstration at Patna’s Dak Bungalow crossing and called for the resignation of Education Minister Chandrashekhar Yadav over his comments about the shortage of qualified science and English teachers. They claimed he ignored their attempts to meet him with their credentials.

 

NEET UG paper leak protest

 

NEET-UG, the entrance exam for medical undergraduate admissions, saw over 24 lakh candidates sit for the May 5 test across 4,750 centers of the country. The June 4 results raised controversy, with concerns over the high number of grace marks, perfect scores, and possible paper leaks. These allegations of paper leak in NEET UG sparked the students’ protest at the national level demanding a fair and fast CBI inquiry into the matter and retaking of the exam.

 

The Centre eventually proposed a NEET UG retest on June 23 for 1,563 students who received grace marks, following an outcry over alleged paper leaks at select centers. It further pushed policy makers to think about the overall execution of major exams in India and to bring new strict laws to avoid such paper leak instances.

 

Kolkata doctor rape-murder case protest

 

In August, protests erupted nationwide, starting with medical colleges, following the rape and murder of a junior doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. The victim was a second-year postgraduate student in chest medicine. In response, doctors and staff at the hospital, except for those in emergency wards, went on strike demanding the immediate arrest of the culprits.

 

As per the police, the autopsy found that the victim was murdered after sexual assault. The incident shook the nation and reminded of ‘Nirbhaya hatya kaand’. In reaction, angered student community, especially medical students, started a series of and nonstop protests across the country demanding the fair and fast trial to make the culprit punishable.