13 student activists of BHU sent to jail for event on Manusmriti
13 student activists of BHU sent to jail for event on Manusmriti
M.U.H
28/12/202431
The Campaign Against State Repression has strongly 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).
The students were detained on December 25 while participating in a discussion on Manusmriti Day and have since been sent to judicial custody for 14 days under non-bailable charges.
The event, commemorating the historic burning of the Manusmriti by Babasaheb Ambedkar in 1927, was disrupted when BHU’s Proctorial Board guards allegedly began harassing the participants. According to eyewitness accounts, the guards misbehaved with students, dragged them out, and detained them in the Proctorial Board office. Reports indicate that some students sustained injuries, and their belongings, including glasses and clothing, were damaged during the scuffle.
As other students gathered in solidarity, they too were detained after allegedly being beaten and manhandled. The detainees included three female students, who were reportedly assaulted and forcibly taken to the Lanka police station. The arrested students were allegedly not allowed to contact their families or meet their legal counsel, a violation of Supreme Court and Human Rights Commission guidelines.
At the police station, SHO Shivakant Mishra reportedly dismissed the students’ requests to meet their lawyer, stating, “This is my police station, and things will be done as per my wishes.” The activists’ phones were confiscated, further isolating them from external support.
On December 26, the students were presented in court and charged under several serious sections of the Indian Penal Code, 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 Campaign Against State Repression has accused the BHU administration and local police of acting under the influence of “Brahminical Hindutva fascist forces.” They allege that the arrests reflect a broader pattern of state repression against democratic assertions, especially those challenging caste-based hierarchies.
“Discussing a text like Manusmriti, which has historically oppressed women, Dalits, and Shudras, now risks incarceration,” read CASR statement. Despite their detention, the activists reportedly raised slogans like “Manusmriti Murdabad” and “Inquilab Zindabad” with unwavering resolve while being taken to jail.
The group demands the immediate release of the activists, the quashing of the FIR, and legal action against the police and university guards for their alleged misconduct. They have also called on democratic and progressive organizations to unite against state repression and support the rights of students and marginalized communities.
