Editor,
In the hills of Arunachal Pradesh, where education should be a beacon of hope for the state’s youths, Dera Natung Government College (DNGC) in Itanagar has been reduced to a gladiatorial arena. The All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) – ostensibly a body meant to champion student welfare, rights, and academic excellence – has instead transformed its 2026 general elections into a protracted saga of delays, disqualifications, and outright violence. What was billed as a democratic exercise has devolved into a shameless scramble for fame, influence, and the ‘fortune’ that comes with union leadership in a politically charged state.
The timeline exposes the farce. After the previous AAPSU executive’s term ended in December 2025, an ordinance mandated that the 27th general conference-cum-election be completed by 20 February, 2026. Yet here we are, in late March, with the process still dragging on. An initial notification set polls for 17-23 February at DNGC’s Jubilee Hall. Classes were suspended, seminars scrapped, and hostels shuttered in anticipation. Then came postponement. A fresh schedule for 20-26 March followed the same disruptive pattern – only this time, violence erupted. Supporters of candidates whose nominations were rejected clashed with police and election committee volunteers on the evening of 24 March and again the next morning. Tear gas was deployed. The college gate was locked. Staff and students found themselves trapped inside or stranded outside, while basic supplies ran short and medical emergencies loomed as a real threat.
This is not an isolated lapse. DNGC authorities had explicitly warned against hosting the event. In a 6 February letter to the Itanagar Capital Region deputy commissioner, the college principal and the DNGC Students’ Union’s general secretary pleaded against granting permission, citing past elections that had already wrecked academic calendars. Their concerns were ignored. The result? A premier government college – home to Rajiv Gandhi Government Polytechnic nearby – now resembles a conflict zone rather than a seat of learning. Assistant Professor Nending Ommo of the English department put it plainly: “Basic supplies have been disrupted. Some faculty members have been forced to seek shelter in hotels, while others remain trapped within the campus… This is not just an institutional issue; it has now become a humanitarian concern.”
The deeper malaise is the cult of personality and power that has infected AAPSU politics. Nominations, scrutiny, objections, and counter-complaints have stretched the process into weeks of hearings and deferrals. Allegations of inducements – running into crores – have surfaced from rival factions, with claims that the election commission itself has been compromised. Rejected candidates and their armies of supporters do not accept scrutiny; they protest, blockade, and clash.
Earlier incidents, including stone-pelting and reported gunshots at the AAPSU office in January-February, set the tone. Traffic advisories, police deployments, and last-minute venue recalls have become routine. What does this say about a students’ union that cannot even conduct its own internal polls without turning a college campus into a war zone?
Student unions exist to amplify the voice of the youths on issues like better infrastructure, scholarships, anti-corruption drives, and quality education. Instead, the AAPSU’s leadership race has become a stepping stone for personal political careers, tribal alignments, and the thrill of wielding influence. The ‘fame and fortune’ the prompt rightly flags are no exaggeration: positions in the union often translate into visibility, connections, and future tickets in mainstream politics. The real victims? The ordinary students whose classes are cancelled, whose examinations are postponed, and whose campus safety is sacrificed on the altar of ego. Parents send their children to DNGC for knowledge, not to dodge tear gas or navigate protest barricades.
The election commission, the district administration, and the state government share blame. Repeatedly granting (and then scrambling to manage) permission for a sensitive venue like DNGC reveals either naivety or indifference. Home Minister Mama Natung had warned that permission could be cancelled if unrest escalated – yet the chaos continues. Civil society, teachers’ forums, and other student bodies must now demand accountability: shift future elections to neutral venues, enforce stricter codes of conduct, amend byelaws to prevent endless litigation, and hold violators – candidates and supporters alike – responsible under law.
The AAPSU was born from the aspirations of Arunachal’s students. Today it risks becoming a cautionary tale of how even noble institutions can be hijacked by ambition. If the union cannot rise above factionalism and violence, it forfeits any moral right to speak for the youths. The classrooms of DNGC deserve to reopen. The real ‘election’ that matters is whether the AAPSU can reclaim its soul – or whether it will continue to trade education for ego. The students of Arunachal are watching. The state cannot afford this circus any longer.
Neha Desai