Students are treated as "products, "children": Ashoka University students protest against arbitrary surveillance

Ashoka University Student Government (AUSG) members have been protesting for the past three days following the announcement of the campus's newest security protocols, according to which Ashoka University will require all students to undergo metal-detector screening and baggage scanning for everyday entry into the campus.

"To facilitate this new security protocol, students will "exclusively" use Gate 2 for campus access instead of the usual Gate 1," said the notification. The All India Students Association (AISA) has joined the protest, as per a report by The New Indian Express.

Nearly 200 students gathered in the atrium to protest the newly instituted baggage scanners and metal detectors.

Several representatives of the Ashoka University Student Government and United Students Front (USF) addressed the gathering, expressing their dissent.

Tanisha Iyer (UG'26), USF's HoD Logistics and Communication, termed the security measures "anti-student."

"They treat students like "products" and "children"," she said, according to the report by The New Indian Express.

One of the students of Ashoka University said, "We need to be sure that we are very firm on our stance in terms of surveillance, in terms of the demands we are demanding and why we are demanding them."

Taking the protest further, the All India Students Association (AISA) leader said, "Ashoka administration, which prides itself of being a 'liberal' bastion is unveiling itself as a policed space. Just two weeks back, Ashoka owners patted their own backs on a talk show claiming that surveillance of students is antithetical to the principles of Ashoka. However, it seems that the bluff has been called and the facade is over. The super-rich owners of Ashoka want to curtail democracy and freedom of expression on their campus."

Ashoka University's official statement: https://www.edexlive.com/news/2025/Jan/24/measures-enhancing-safety-welfare-students-ashoka-university-protest-new-security-protocols