Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students' Association

Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students' Association (BAPSA) is a student organization formed on 15 November 2014 at Jawaharlal Nehru University on Birsa Munda's birth anniversary.[1] It claims to work for student rights and the issues affecting SCs, STs, OBCs and other minority groups.[2] BAPSA says it stands for assertion,[3] follows Ambedkarite ideology[4] and is critical of both Left- and Right-wing forces on campus.[5] BAPSA is also active in Central University of Gujarat.[6]

Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students' Association
AbbreviationBAPSA
Formation2014 (2014)
Founded atJawaharlal Nehru University
PurposeSocial justice
Social equality
Social transformation
Location
Region
India
Websitewww.facebook.com/bapsa.jnu

Campus activities

Founded by members of the United Dalit Students’ Forum,[7] BAPSA conducts rallies[8] and protests,[9] as well as inviting students and teachers from the campus to talk about their issues.[7]

In 2017, BAPSA blocked the JNU administration building for 20 days in protest at a cut in the number of reserved seats and changes in the entrance criteria for graduate programs which they thought would make it difficult for marginalised applicants to gain admission to study.[10] In February 2018, BAPSA protested the Tata Institute of Social Sciences administration’s decision to withdraw financial aid to students from the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Class communities.[11]

JNUSU elections

BAPSA has contested the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) polls since 2016.[7] The Hindu noted after the 2017 elections, where the BAPSA presidential candidate finished third, that the result showed "there was space for a party that did not subscribe to the Left-Right binary. With every election, the Ambedkarite forces have put up a better show basing their campaign on the 'unity of the oppressed' slogan."[12]

The 2017 elections to the JNUSU Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH) were won by BAPSA's Magare Bhupali Vithal. The elections were not recognised by the university authorities and were held in protest at the administration's disbandment of the GSCASH.[13]

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See also

References
  1. "JNUSU polls: BAPSA announces its arrival as a contender in JNU's political scene". The Indian Express. 2016-09-11. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  2. Kumar, Abhay. "Hindutva Terror in JNU: Student Najeeb Still Missing". The Milli Gazette. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  3. "Among Dalits, a restlessness mainstream parties choose to ignore". The Indian Express. 2016-04-15. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  4. "In JNU, an Ambedkarite student union, BAPSA, finds an ally in Kabali". The News Minute. 2016-09-09. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  5. TwoCircles.net. "Holding onto Ambedkar: The emergence of BAPSA and the challenge to Left and Right". twocircles.net. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  6. "Student Election at CUG: Sixth time in a row ABVP fails to get hold of School of Social Sciences". Ahmedabad Mirror. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  7. "JNU polls: BAPSA campaigners will be from 'margins'". Hindustan Times. 2018-09-04. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  8. "Babri anniversary: JNU cancels all talks, seminars on topic to 'maintain harmony'". Hindustan Times. 2017-12-06. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  9. "Protests suggest something wrong somewhere at JNU: Delhi HC". www.rediff.com. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  10. "How India's Student Activists are Standing Up for the Dalits - World Policy". World Policy. 2017-12-19. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  11. Staff, Scroll. "TISS strike: Students in Delhi march in solidarity with peers, submit letter to HRD minister". Scroll.in. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  12. Reporter, Staff (2017-09-11). "United Left sweeps JNUSU election". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  13. "In protest, JNU elects 4 members to GSCASH". The Indian Express. 2017-09-29. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
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