Bengaluru’s Azim Premji University is at the center of controversy after members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) barged into the campus to protest against a planned discussion event. The ABVP, which is linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, objected to the programme calling it “ani-national” and gathered inside the university premises, leading to a tense situation.
Some ABVP members reportedly smeared black ink on the university’s signboards. A few also entered the campus and spray-painted walls and signage before security staff stepped in to control the situation.
Police said about 25 ABVP members were taken into custody to avoid further trouble, a TOI report said. As a safety measure, two platoons of the State Reserve Police were stationed at the campus, the report added.
Here’s what happened:
The members of ABVP claimed that the University allowed a student group to hold a programme that, in its view, showed the Indian Army in a negative manner and contained content it considered “anti-national”, according to The Indian Express.
The discussion was reportedly centred on the Kunan Poshpora case, which relates to allegations that security forces gang-raped women in two villages in Kashmir in February 1991, according to the Times of India.
In response, Azim Premji University said in a statement that it had not given approval for any such event.
Before staging the protest, the ABVP issued a statement criticising what it described as programmes supporting Kashmir separatism and targeting the Indian Army. The group also alleged that the university had repeatedly hosted sessions that, in its view, questioned the country’s unity and integrity and criticised the armed forces.
Watch Video:
#WATCH | Anekal, Karnataka | Students affiliated with ABVP staged a protest at Azim Premji University in Bengaluru and smeared black ink on the University's billboard. (24.02)
(Visuals Source: ABVP) pic.twitter.com/YAMNnTKwnW
— ANI (@ANI) February 24, 2026
ABVP slammed for its actions
After the event was cancelled, a large number of students, led by the All India Students’ Association (AISA), gathered on campus to protest against the actions of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the TOI report said.
In a statement, the ABVP claimed that meetings were being organised by Spark, a group linked to AISA, to spread ideas it described as anti-national and to present Indian soldiers as wrongdoers. The organisation further alleged that the planned discussion was meant to criticise Operation Sindoor and show support for Naxal and Maoist beliefs. It argued that such events could influence young students in the wrong direction and called for the university’s official recognition to be cancelled, the report added.
Aratrika, general secretary of AISA’s Bengaluru unit, described the episode as a conflict between different ideologies. She accused the ABVP of trying to shut down open discussion on campus and create fear among students.
Meanwhile, Azim Premji University slammed the disruption. In a statement, the university said those who entered the campus were protesting against a programme they believed was scheduled to take place there. However, it clarified that no such event had been approved and that the programme, reportedly planned by a small group of students, did not take place at all. The university also condemned the disturbance and acts of vandalism on its premises. |
