The repeated suspension of routine activities at Dera Natung Government College (DNGC) highlights a worrying trend in which academic priorities are being sidelined due to violent All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) elections politics.
The fact that DNGC had opposed the use of its campus but was not heeded suggests that the district administration failed to obtain proper consent from the college authorities.
With gates locked and residents living in fear, the college environment has ceased to be a safe educational space, raising serious concerns about the security of both students and staff.
The disruption has extended beyond DNGC, also affecting Rajiv Gandhi Government Polytechnic. The district administration’s decision to permit the election on campus has effectively thrown these institutions into chaos.
The AAPSU, instead of fostering democratic engagement, has increasingly led to aggression and unrest, becoming a troubling hallmark of the union itself. Given the union’s scale and history, student elections of this magnitude should be conducted at neutral venues, rather than active academic campuses to prevent disruption and conflict, alongside long-term policy reforms to better regulate the conduct of student elections.