Agitation over student union polls intensifies in Rajasthan; NSUI leaders to meet Deputy CM
Three student leaders who climbed a water tank here as part of a protest demanding the restoration of student union elections in Rajasthan will meet
Three student leaders who climbed a water tank here as part of a protest demanding the restoration of student union elections in Rajasthan will meet Deputy Chief Minister and Higher Education Minister Premchand Bairwa on Saturday (August 1, 2026), even as the agitation on the issue intensifies across the State. The protesters, associated with the Students' Union of India (NSUI), had climbed the tank near Tonk Phatak in the Gandhi Nagar railway station area on Thursday (July 30) and came down late Friday (July 31) night after nearly 40 hours, following assurances from a government delegation.
Student leaders Vijaypal Kudi and Viona Jat said the government has been given a seven-day ultimatum to decide on their demands, including holding student union elections in universities and colleges. "If our demands are not met within the stipulated time, a bigger agitation will be launched," they said. They also demanded that no cases be registered against protesting students and sought a public apology from Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the alleged lathi-charge on youths at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. The leaders said the government has assured them of facilitating a meeting with Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma and Bairwa to discuss the issue.
On Friday (July 31), a large number of students and NSUI workers blocked Tonk Road, leading to traffic disruption for about an hour. Police later cleared the road and detained 11 protesters for breach of peace. Senior Congress leaders, including Tikaram Jully and MLA Rafiq Khan, also reached the protest site and urged the students to end their agitation, assuring them that their demands would be raised at an appropriate forum. Separately, student leader Shubham Rewar has been on an indefinite hunger strike for the past 10 days over the demand for restoration of student union elections.
He has been admitted to Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital in Jaipur, where his condition reportedly deteriorated on Saturday (August 1, 2026). A team of doctors is monitoring his health as concerns grow among supporters amid ongoing agitation across the state.
The BriefWire