SFI Condemns RSS Shakhas in Universities, Says Campuses Belong to Students

New Delhi: The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) has strongly opposed the organisation of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) shakhas inside public universities, including the University of Hyderabad, Rajasthan University, and Jawaharlal Nehru University.The statement was released by SFI president Adarsh M Saji and general secretary Srijan Bhattacharyya.

In a statement issued by its Central Executive Committee, the student body alleged that the move was a “deliberate attempt to hijack and communalise campuses” by bringing in RSS and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) cadres from outside, thereby threatening student safety and undermining university autonomy.

The SFI accused university administrations of enabling the RSS instead of protecting academic freedom. “This is part of a continuous attack unleashed by the RSS -BJP on the academic environment based on critical thinking, scientific temperament, and campus democracy. Since the BJP came to power, students and professors questioning this Sangh, administration nexus are being witch-hunted across the country, while the RSS is given free rein,” the statement read.

Marking the centenary of the RSS, the federation reiterated its opposition to the organisation’s historical role. It described the Sangh as a force that stood against India’s freedom struggle, secularism, and pluralism, pointing to leaders such as V D Savarkar, accused of betraying the independence movement, and M S Golwalkar, known for his admiration of Hitler.

“Allowing RSS into academic spaces is an assault on India’s Constitution, culture, and collective memory. Education belongs to the people, not to the RSS, which remains a blot on our nation’s history,” SFI said.

The federation called upon students, teachers, and democratic voices across the country to resist what it termed the “saffronisation of education” and to defend the right of future generations to study factual, scientific, inclusive, and secular history.