Andhra University Tense for Fifth Day After Student Clashes
Andhra University remained tense for the fifth consecutive day on Saturday after clashes involving student activists of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Students’ Federation of India (SFI), and All India Students’ Federation (AISF), with police maintaining a strong presence on campus.
The unrest began on February 17, when SFI and AISF members allegedly attacked ABVP activists during a ‘shakha’ programme organised on the campus. Since then, rival groups have been staging protests outside the Vice-Chancellor’s office, leading to a continuing standoff.
On Saturday morning, ABVP leaders mobilised supporters at the university’s main gate, demanding the immediate arrest of those allegedly involved in the February 17 incident. Police and university security personnel were deployed in large numbers to prevent further escalation. The city’s Police Commissioner held talks with student leaders to defuse tensions.
ABVP city leader U. Nitin alleged that neither the university administration nor the police had acted on their complaint. “We staged the protest as our complaint regarding the attack on ABVP activists has not been acted upon,” he said. He maintained that the ‘shakha’ was not a religious campaign and accused Left-affiliated student unions of deliberately disrupting the programme to attract media attention and disturb the International Fleet Review 2026.
SFI Visakhapatnam district president G. Ajay denied the allegation of an assault. “We did not attack anyone. We opposed RSS shakha activities as we believe the university campus should remain free from religious activities and violence,” he said. Ajay added that the organisation had postponed its proposed bandh in view of the International Fleet Review events.
Registrar K. Rambabu said the university had issued emergency orders prohibiting rallies and meetings to safeguard the academic atmosphere, particularly with semester examinations approaching. He appealed to student groups to cooperate in restoring normalcy.