Ambedkarwadi Chatra Sabha

Ambedkarwadi Chatra Sabha is a radical student organization struggling for social justice
and equality. It is an independent student organization not associated with any political
party. It operates in college and university campuses of Eastern Uttar Pradesh, primarily in
the districts of Gorakhpur, Deoria, Kushinagar, Maharajganj.

Formation: Ambedkarwadi Chatra Sabha was formed by students of DDU Gorakhpur

University on Ambedkar Jayanti 14 April 2004. The Executive committee of the organization
was led by Amar Singh Paswan (President) Rajeev Jaisowal (General Secretary) Sandeep
Kumar and Sachin Paswan.

Motto: To build a student movement fighting for the rights of Students to establish social
justice, equality and expanding participation of students in social transformative agenda
that aims at building a society free of caste discrimination and gender inequality.

Ideology

Ambedkar’s idea of annihilation of caste, social justice and equitable development of all
citizens forms the core ideology of the organization. The organization is also open to
progressive and social transformative agenda of other left progressive ideologies. The
organization strongly promotes gender equality, secularism and Adivasi rights. The
organization seeks to unite all progressive forces in the fight to safeguard constitutional
rights and guarantees, expand the opportunities of backward classes and women and
increase public expenditure in Education. The organization demands that the caste based
data of Census should be made public for proper and equitable distribution of resources.

History and Movement

2017: Ambedkawadi Chatra Sabha was about to make history by securing victory for a Dalit
Woman Candidate as the student union president. Annu Prasad (PhD Senior Research
Fellow from Psycholgy Dept) contested as the president and created a huge sensation in the
University which is in the city of UP CM Yogi Adityanath.i iiThe BJP student wing ABVP
realising a massive defeat and the rise of a dalit student in the President post asked its
parent party to intervene. Deputy Chief Minister, Dinesh Sharma came to Gorakhpur
University and declared that the University election can only be held according to the
Lyngdoh Committe Recommendations. The university cancelled the student union elections
on the pretext that election could not be held in 2017 as the LCR demands student union
elections to be held within the first two months. A massive student mobilization took place
in the university and it was brutally crushed by the state.iii Leaders of Ambedkarwadi Chatra
Sabha Amar Paswan and Kamlesh Yadav were framed in charges under IPC 147, 307, 386,
504, 506. The organization took the movement for restoring student union election to New
Delhi under the leadership of Annu Prasad at Constitution Club. National leaders like Sharad
Yadav and Rattan Lal lent support to the program.

Annu Prasad’s Speech at Constitutional Club, New Delhi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=x3GYwqvdo9E

Ambedkarwadi Chatra Sabha fought for restoration of scholarship to SC-ST students in

March 2017 which the University scrapped due to the delay in the beginning of the
semester. The University was forced to acknowledge its faults and 150 students received the
yearly scholarship of about Rs. 6000 to 9000.

2016 Ambedkarwadi Chatra Sabha launched a massive student movement on the issue of
the murder of two Dalits, Narmada and Santosh, who were lynched at Dumri Khas village of
the Chauri Chaura Vidhan Sabha constituencyiv. A seven day long Demonstration was
launched in front the District Magistrates office which forced the administration to agree to
give 13 lac rupees to the families of the victim and 3 acres of land to each family. v

Ambedkarwadi Chatra Sabha joined the nationwide protest against the police action against
JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya vi. The organization
faced attacks from the rights wing student organization ABVP that tried to resist the
programs which saw huge participation of students against BJP Govt’s branding of student
leaders as “anti-national”.

Dalit Scholar Rohit Vemula’s Suicide in HCU saw massive protest in Gorakhpur under the
banner of Ambedkarwadi Chatra Sabha and Purvanchal Sena.

Gorakhpur University saw the assertion of Ambedkarwadi Chatra Sabha when its
Candidates Aman Yadav registered victory in the Union and Pawan Kumar vii a Dalit student
lost the general secretary post by just 35 votes.
[[File: <iframe width="640" height="360"
src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/x3GYwqvdo9E" frameborder="0"
gesture="media" allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>|thumb
|400px |alt=A Annu Prasad Addressing Audience at Constitution Club
against the Scrapping of Student union Election in DDU Gorakhpur
University ]]
i
http://thewirehindi.com/18387/deen-dayal-upadhyay-gorakhpur-university-students-union-elections/
ii
https://rashtriyasatta.com/2017/10/02/%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%B0-
%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%81-%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%87-%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%8B
%E0%A4%82-%E0%A4%A1%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%87-%E0%A4%B9%E0%A5%88-%E0%A4%AE
%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%96/
iii
http://gorakhpurnewsline.com/tag/%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AC
%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%A1%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%80-%E0%A4%9B
%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0-%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%BE/
iv
https://pre-replica.patrika.com/news/gorakhpur/ambedkarites-student-protest-in-burning-case-1420616/
v
http://dainikaaj.com/ambedkar-student-union-burnt-effigy-of-yogi-adityanath/
vi
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india/up-abvp-members-dalit-students-clash-over-jnu-incident/story-
adlwcTJHyRh54Vp2bJNGeI.html
vii
http://gorakhpurnewsline.com/%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%A8-%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%AE
%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B0-%E0%A4%B9%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%97%E0%A5%87-%E0%A4%AE
%E0%A4%B9%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0/