On the night of July 1, 2025, the weeks-long students 'agitation at Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University (HAU), Hisar, ended in triumph. After 21 days of disciplined protest, the students secured a written agreement from the university authorities restoring stipend/merit scholarships and Land Donation Villages (LDV) seats to their previous status, along with assurances of action against those responsible for assaulting peaceful demonstrators.
This victory is far more than an administrative concession—it is a powerful testament to the unity, courage, and democratic resolve of Haryana’s student community. It is also a milestone in the long and often turbulent history of student movements in the state.
Historical Context: Student Movements in Haryana
Haryana has a rich tradition of student activism dating back to the pre-independence era, when students took part in the freedom struggle. Post-independence, student movements continued to shape the state’s social and political fabric.
The Emergency period (1975–77) stands out as a defining moment: students across Haryana mobilized to resist authoritarianism and defend civil liberties. A strong movement under the banner of Haryana Students Union (HSU) spearheaded in the state under the dynamic leadership of Prithvi Singh Gorkhpuria, Shradhanand Solanki, Balbir Dahia and many other students leaders of different degree colleges and the universities. The protests against emergency and curb on civil liberties were led by Inderjeet Singh and Mahabir Narwal. Both these students leaders were arrested during the emergency and imprisoned for 18 months. In the first direct election held for students council, Inderjeet Singh elected its first president. He was later expelled from the university and he joined the people’s movement and he is now a distinguished Farmers leader who led the farmers of Haryana at Tikri Border against three draconian laws against the farmer community. Phool Singh Seokand was another prominent student leader pre-1980. He later on led a strong movement of employees of Haryana in 1987 and taken fast unto death for more than 55 days for the rights and genuine issues of employees. He is now a prominent Kisan leader of Haryana.
In the 1980s and 90s, HAU itself became a crucible of student politics. Agitations for better scholarships, improved hostel facilities, and employment opportunities left a lasting imprint on campus culture. Virender Malik, O.P. Sihag, Bijender Sharma—emerged from these struggles, going on to play important roles in Haryana’s politics and public life. Historically, such movements drew strength from cross-caste solidarity and a shared student identity. While Haryana’s social fabric is complex and sometimes fractured along caste lines, its student movements have often transcended these divisions in the pursuit of common goals.
The 2025 HAU Agitation: Sparks and Spread and assault
The 2025 protest was triggered by students’ anger over the withdrawal or dilution of stipends/merit scholarships and the reduction of LDU seats—changes that disproportionately impacted economically weaker students and those from farming backgrounds.
A critical moment came when university security guards and some teachers assaulted students during their peaceful sit-in. Instead of intimidating the movement, this violence galvanized the students further, sparking outrage across the campus and beyond.
The administration’s response throughout was marked by evasion and pressure. Rather than engaging sincerely, it sought to divide, demoralize, and exhaust the protesters. The use of physical force and attempts to delay negotiations underscored a strategy of attrition rather than resolution.
After their peaceful representations were ignored, students launched an indefinite sit-in on June 10, 2025, determined to force the administration to restore their entitlements.
Unlike older movements often led by experienced union leaders, this agitation had no formal leadership at the outset. Its most remarkable feature was its organic, decentralized leadership. Young students learned on the ground—developing negotiation strategies, coordinating protests, and maintaining cohesion despite sustained pressure.
Resisting Divide-and-Rule Tactics
Perhaps the most instructive aspect of the 2025 movement was the way it confronted and overcame efforts to divide it along caste lines.
With the University’s Vice-Chancellor hailing from an OBC community, some attempted to brand the protest as “anti-OBC.” Had such narratives taken root, they might have fractured student unity along Haryana’s deeply entrenched social divisions which already charged after Jat Reservation Movement.
Instead, students showed striking maturity and clarity. They consistently asserted that their demands were purely academic and economic. They refused to allow anyone to communalize or caste-brand their protest. In doing so, they reasserted a universal student identity and demonstrated how disciplined communication and solidarity can defeat divide-and-rule politics.
This is a vital lesson for all popular movements in India today: unity on issues must override cynical attempts to sow division.
Broad-Based Support: Political, Social, and Legal
While students led the movement on the ground, they were not alone. Various social and political organizations provided critical moral, logistical, and media support.
The students organization of the students like SFI, AISA, NSUI, students wing of JJP and INLD extended their support to the the agitation and organized demonstration in different districts and campuses of the universities. The president of DUSU, students leaders from Ambedkar University and JNU visited the dharna site to extend their support. It was the breathing to the otherwise dying students movement in Haryana and will long way in connecting the students across the universities and colleges of the Haryana.
Farmers and Employees Union come forward to support the agitation. In fact most of the students hail from rural Haryana and so, farmers and employees were deeply concerned as the students are their wards. Farmers with students organized a Nyaya Panchayat at the sit-in site.
Political parties except the ruling party whelm support this agitation by visiting the dhrana site and made this atrocities and assault on the students a state’s burning issue.
A significant role was played by the District Bar Association, Hisar, whose members offered legal aid to protect students from arbitrary disciplinary action and police intervention. Their involvement underscored the movement’s legal legitimacy and helped prevent repression.
Equally important was the support from HAU alumni, many of whom are now professionals across India and abroad. Former students offered solidarity, helped with strategy and fund raising, and reminded current students that they were part of a proud tradition of struggle and achievement.
Former Student Leaders: Rekindling a Legacy
Veteran student leaders of HAU—like Inderjeet Singh, Phool Singh Seokand, Virender Malik, O.P. Sihag, Bijender Sharma, and others—openly backed the movement. The other students leaders of yesteryear of Hisar and rest of Haryana come forward to support this movement which was emerged after 1996 on ban of elections of students council.
Their support was invaluable. It not only offered public legitimacy to the agitation but also provided institutional memory of how earlier movements had succeeded. Their messages reinforced morale at critical moments and helped prevent fragmentation or despair. Such inter-generational solidarity is a defining strength of Haryana’s student politics.
Role of HAUTA: A disgusting attitude
Teacher-taught relationship has been great camaraderie of the HAU. Students and teachers of this university have always shown a great affinity and support to each other for the demands of each other, today's teacher was yesteryear student and has spent almost 8-10 years as student in the campus. Before an issue is raised and raked up, it has already been discussed in the informal manner in their day to day interactions. Unfortunately, the HAUTA not only remained aloof from this movement rather, aligned with the authorities to suppress and break the morale of the students. Office bearers of HAUTA were explicitly hand in glove with the authorities. It is more glaring to note that some of the teachers were involved in the attack on the students. The convention of long organic association of teachers was deliberately sabotaged by the vested interests who are at the helms of affair of the present day HAUTA. Although, its not surprising either as the HAUTA is represented by the elements who were never active in the students movements of their time and mostly remained docile. Interestingly, Teachers, Association of Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (LUVAS) which is led by a former student leader, Dr. Ashok Malik not only vocally support the agitation but also remain with the students during the whole process of agitation. Although some teachers of HAU in their individual capacity come forward to extend their all out support to the students. This new development of opposing a genuine protest spearheaded by the students by the HAUTA is a blot on the teachers of the HAU. Moreover, the Deans and Directors who have been the students of this very university failed to intervene constructively to resolve the impasse rather, plaint this movement as driven by the outside forces. They ostensibly sided with authorities to curb this democratic movement, which emerged because of attack on protesting students for their genuine issues.
The Role of Government
Initially, the government seemed content to let the university administration manage the situation—even as it involved ignoring demands and using force against students.
Ultimately, however, sustained peaceful protest, legal pressure, and public support forced the administration to negotiate seriously. A ministerial committee of three ministers headed by Education Minister, Mahipal Dhanda was constituted to negotiate with agitating students, committee reached an agreement and announced in the media of resolution of the demands of the agitating students but didn’t release the agreement, in the line of old tactics of the present day dispensation who rules the state. Rather, handing over the written agreement, students were pressurized to vacate the dharna site, girls were seized in their hostels and basic amenities like food and water were curtailed. Under the new duress, farmers and students with the support of political parties and other social organizations announced to block all the four gates of university on 2nd July. Sensing the deterioration of law and order and diminishing prestige of the government, another round of negotiation initiated and Randhir Panihar, MLA was tasked to announce the agreement amongst the students on dharna site and a written orders were handed to the students in which major demands were accepted except removal of the Vice Chancellor. The resulting written agreement is a testament to the power of democratic mobilization.
This episode should serve as a lesson to all educational institutions and the state: dialogue and empathy must replace repression and evasion when students raise legitimate grievances.
Victory and Its Meaning
The final written settlement promises:
✅ Restoration of stipend/merit scholarships
✅ Restoration of LDV seats
✅ Action against those responsible for the assault on students
The students secured the restoration of stipend/merit scholarships and Land Donation Villages (LDV) seats as before, along with suspension of Sukhbir Singh, Security Officer, Transfer of Director Students welfare and other teachers who were involved in whole episode were transferred to some other places. However, the demand of removal of Vice Chancellor and criminal proceedings against Registrar were not heeded upon. This culmination marks not only the resolution of pressing demands but also a significant milestone in the long, often turbulent, history of student movements in Haryana.
This victory is a clear vindication of the students’ demands and methods. It also stands as a warning against any future attempt to roll back student welfare measures without consultation.
More broadly, it reasserts the principle that student voices matter—and that attempts to ignore or suppress them will ultimately fail.
Lessons for the Future
The 2025 HAU student movement offers vital lessons for Haryana and beyond:
i. Leadership can emerge organically from the struggle itself
ii. Attempts to divide students on caste lines can be defeated through clear communication and disciplined unity.
iii. Broad community support—from alumni, lawyers, civil society—can transform a campus protest into a people’s movement.
iv. Inter-generational solidarity among past and present students is a powerful force.
v. This movement will inspire students across Haryana to recognize their collective strength and assert their rights fearlessly. It also exposes the limitations of “divide-and-rule” strategies that have too often blunted popular movements.
It is to be seen how the students of HAU payback this vital support they received from the different quarters and segments of the society. It is expected that they will support the genuine movements of students elsewhere in the state in particular and other organizations like farmers and employees in general.
The Challenge Ahead
With the agreement signed, the next task is ensuring its full and timely implementation. Students and their allies will need to remain vigilant, ensuring no participant faces retaliation and that promised actions are not diluted or delayed.
The students of HAU have set a new standard of courage, unity, and democratic discipline. Their example will inspire the next generation of leaders and ensure Haryana’s proud tradition of vibrant, principled student activism not only survives but thrives.
The importance of the election of the students council was raised by the former students leaders to formulate a vibrant platform for raising the common issues of the students and open a channel for taking up the genuine issues of the students to the authorities early and in appropriate manner. The basic issue although subsided in the din of charter of demands, but there is no permanent rectification until students councils are not constituted through the process of elections, democratically like in PU, JNU and DU. The gain of the today’s will not last long rather falter sooner in absence of the organized elected students councils. It is a new hope and bigger challenge before the students to think over it, organize and develop a concerted demand for the direct elections of the students council from the next session which is about to commence. The only long term solution for reckoning of the genuine issues warranted a strong student body in each and every campus across the Haryana.
Bravo to these young fighters who paved the way. Their struggle proves once again: just demands, pursued with unity and conviction, will always find victory.
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