April 2nd, 2015 marks the second anniversary of the sacrifice of Com. Sudipto, the SFI leader who was killed by the West Bengal Police under the auspices of the TMC govt in power in the state while participating in a students’ rally to restore students' union elections in West Bengal.

This call by the SFI CEC comes at a time when multiple assaults are being launched by the Narendra Modi led NDA on the education sphere of the country. On one hand NDA government is intensifying the pursuit of the very same neo-liberal policies followed by the erstwhile UPA regime while on the other hand it is firing out all cylinders blazing to saffronize education to suit the RSS's communal agenda. Parallel to this there is a continuation of attacks on campus democracy to silence all the resistance against the anti-student moves of both the central government and various state governments. There is a brutal crackdown on student protests by the police and disciplinary actions by right wing university administrations across the country on students who dare to raise their voices against the neo-liberal policies.

Recent, incidence of police brutality in Shimla is fresh in our memories where a student march led by the SFI was attacked by the police resulting in serious injuries on many students. The police arrested 17 activists including SFI National President Com V Sivadasan and subjected them to inhuman torture to suppress their voices. Even now, six SFI activists are continuing to languish in prisons for their only "crime" of raising their voices against the anti-student Himachal Pradesh government. In Pondicherry University students are fighting for an entire year braving suspension and other atrocities against ragging and sexual harassment. Hundreds of students are facing police cases from Kerala to West Bengal for raising voices for their democratic rights. The students’ union elections are not conducted in a large majority of the campuses of the nation. The Lyngdho has become a tool in the hands of the autocratic ruling class to draw the boundaries for students' activism in many campuses. The new education policy of the current Central govt aims to take away whatsoever democratic space is left for students from them.

At this moment of serious threat to the democratic rights of the students there is no other option left before us but to struggle. The SFI Central executive committee demands the central government to pass a legislation ensuring democratically conducted campus union elections in all the educational institutions of the nation. SFI dips its flag in the inspiring memories of comrade Sudipto Gupta and calls the student community to intensify the struggles to deepen campus democracy across the nation.

1st April, 2015