On July 29, 2023, 13 students of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) were booked for allegedly blocking a road and the vice-chancellor's residence in protest against the lack of faculty and the discontinuation of their course.
The students, who were enrolled in the Bachelor of Vocation (BVoc) course, had been protesting since July 27. They had blocked the road in front of the Singh Dwar, a main gate of the university, and also the vice-chancellor's residence.
The university administration had tried to persuade the students to end their protest, but they refused. The police were then called in and the students were booked under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which prohibits assembly of four or more people in an area.
The students have been released on bail. They have said that they will continue their protest until their demands are met.
The BHU administration has said that it is looking into the matter and that it will take appropriate action.
The protest by the BHU students is the latest in a series of protests by students across India against the lack of faculty and the discontinuation of courses. In recent months, students from several universities, including Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and the University of Hyderabad, have held protests against similar issues.