The Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) has condemned the arrest and alleged physical and mental harassment of 13 student activists from the Bhagat Singh Students Morcha (BSM) at Banaras Hindu University (BHU). This was stated in a report by Maktoob Media.
The students were detained on December 25 while participating in a discussion on Manusmriti Day and have since been remanded to judicial custody for 14 days under non-bailable charges.
The event, commemorating the historic burning of the Manusmriti by Babasaheb Ambedkar in 1927, turned chaotic when guards from BHU’s Proctorial Board allegedly began harassing participants.
Eyewitnesses claim the guards misbehaved with students, dragged them out, and detained them in the Proctorial Board office.
Reports suggest that several students sustained injuries, and their belongings, including glasses and clothing, were damaged during the confrontation.
As other students gathered in solidarity, they, too, were detained after allegedly being beaten and manhandled. Among the detainees were three female students, who were reportedly assaulted and forcibly taken to the Lanka police station. The arrested students were allegedly denied the right to contact their families or meet their legal counsel, in violation of Supreme Court and Human Rights Commission guidelines.
At the police station, Station House Officer (SHO) Shivakant Mishra reportedly dismissed the students’ requests to consult their lawyer, saying, “This is my police station, and things will be done as per my wishes.” The activists’ phones were confiscated, further cutting them off from external support.
On December 26, the students were presented in court and charged with several serious offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including:
- Section 132: Assault on a government servant (non-bailable)
- Section 121(2): Causing grievous hurt to a government servant
- Section 196(1)(b): Disturbing public harmony
- Section 299: Insulting religion, punishable by up to three years in prison
- Section 110: Attempt to commit culpable homicide
- Section 191(1): Rioting
- Section 115(2): Intentional hurt
The CASR has accused the BHU administration and local police of acting under the influence of “Brahminical Hindutva fascist forces.” They allege that the arrests are part of a broader trend of state repression targeting democratic dissent, particularly efforts that challenge caste-based hierarchies.
“Discussing a text like Manusmriti, which has historically oppressed women, Dalits, and Shudras, now risks incarceration,” stated CASR. Despite their detention, the activists reportedly chanted slogans such as “Manusmriti Murdabad” and “Inquilab Zindabad” while being taken to jail.
CASR is demanding the immediate release of the activists, the quashing of the First Information Report (FIR), and legal action against the police and university guards for their alleged misconduct. They have also called on democratic and progressive organisations to stand in solidarity against state repression and support the rights of students and marginalised communities.
