College students protest the suspension of the student union election in Dehradun, October 25.
| Photo Credit: ANI

On the eve of Diwali, a 23-year-old student activist from Almora’s Soban Singh Jeena University (SSJ) tried to immolate himself and suffered 15 per cent burns. The tragic incident reflects the acute desperation of Uttarakhand’s youth after the suspension of the student union election.

This incident took place in the backdrop of student protests that erupted across Almora, Bageshwar, Dehradun, Srinagar and other major higher educational centres in the State, after the Uttarakhand High Court, on October 24, dismissed a PIL that sought to reinstate the student union election across colleges and universities for the academic session 2024-25. Students and activists across political lines boycotted classes and burnt effigies on the campus to express their dismay over what they saw as an infringement on their democratic rights.

The timing of this suspension is particularly disappointing. In July 2024, Uttarakhand had made headlines for being the first Indian State to reserve 50 per cent of student union seats for women. This decision was widely celebrated as a step towards gender equity and a meaningful inclusion in a male-dominated political landscape; and so, the suspension of the election has made their hope of democratic engagement in campuses a hollow one.

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Universities and colleges have always been spaces where ideas emerge, where educated youth make political choices and campaign for social justice. This legacy is strong in Uttarakhand. Whether the Chipko movement or statehood activism, students, rural women and local communities came together. By cancelling the student union election, the State has effectively severed the youth from these historical struggles.

Regional universities neglected

The suspension of the election also exposes the neglect regional universities and colleges face. Unlike national institutions such as Delhi University or Jawaharlal Nehru University, which attract national media attention, the challenges faced by regional universities often go unnoticed. In hill States such as Uttarakhand, this disparity is even greater. Here they serve not only as a learning platform for first-generation college students from marginalised backgrounds, but are also essential spaces for debate, empowerment and representation in campus governance. Cancelling the election, then, is a denial of both democratic rights and also developmental opportunities crucial for students.

Student union elections also help prepare youth to participate meaningfully in society. Some officials may view the student election as a potential source of disruption, especially with the upcoming byeelections across the country. But the government must view student activism not as a threat but as a fundamental aspect of a healthy democratic society.

The decision to suspend this election highlights a worrying disconnect between the State’s professed ideals and actions: the promises of encouraging women’s participation; reversing migration by developing essential educational and health-care infrastructure and by creating employment opportunities in the region. The self-immolation attempt and widespread student unrest across Kumaon and Garhwal underscores the students’ urgent need for their voices to be heard. Silencing them could in fact lead to increase the unrest.

Reinstating the election would signal the State’s commitment to nurturing future leaders, supporting gender equity, and preserving democratic values.

The specific challenges that grip the youth of the Himalayan region include the lack of quality education (the gross enrolment ratio for higher education in Uttarakhand in 2021 was 41.8 per cent); migration (according to the Rural Development and Migration Prevention Commission of Uttarakhand (2018-2022) 3.3 lakh people migrated from the State); and unemployment (the State’s unemployment rate stands at 4.9 per cent).

These worrying trends require a dedicated platform for articulation. And the need to prepare regional student leadership is essential in the wake of recent and reoccurring catastrophes such as flash floods, landslides, forest fires, cloud bursts and excessive rainfall jolting the landscape.

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Youth leaders are essential in addressing these challenges and in building resilience in a region facing both social and environmental crises that will directly impact their lives. The government must realise the critical fact that these student unions and council bodies are only mandated to perform their duties within a year or less.

Uttarakhand promotes youth engagement with Sustainable Development Goals, through the Youth4SDGs online platform managed by the Centre for Public Policy and Good Governance, with the aim of “leaving no one behind”; it hopes to bring together youth from all 13 districts. But it must also act to restore this election. Turning symbolic policies into meaningful action would allow regional campuses to become the constructive spaces for the leaders of tomorrow.

Arunima Naithani is an independent researcher and Devam Thapa teaches at MIT WPU, Pune. Their views are personal.