Student Protest Over Fee Hike in Rajasthan’s Barmer Turns Political After Arrests and Sit In

A student protest against a college fee hike in Rajasthan’s Barmer district escalated into a political controversy after police detained two student leaders over remarks allegedly directed at District Collector Tina Dabi. What began as a demonstration against rising education costs outside a women’s college soon shifted focus to questions of free speech, administrative conduct, and police action, culminating in a sit in by students inside a police station.

The incident took place outside Multanmal Bhikhchand Chhajed Women’s College, where students had gathered to oppose a recent increase in college fees. The student protest included participation from two student leaders associated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. According to the police, the demonstration raised concerns about public order, leading to the detention of the two leaders and their transfer to the Kotwali police station.

Students, however, strongly disputed the police version of events. They alleged that the detention was not related to any student protest or threat to law and order but was instead triggered by a remark made by one of the student leaders referring to the district collector as a “reel star”. The students argued that this comment was taken out of context and unfairly treated as an offence, sparking anger and frustration among those protesting the fee hike.

Following the arrests, a group of women students marched from the college to the Kotwali police station and began a sit in inside the premises. They demanded the immediate release of the detained student leaders and accused the authorities of suppressing voices of student protest. The sit in marked a significant escalation, as the focus of the protest shifted from college fees to alleged administrative intolerance of criticism.

Hina Khatri, one of the students participating in the sit in, questioned why the remark had been singled out as grounds for detention. She said that the district collector frequently appears in public campaigns and cleanliness drives and that the comment was not meant as an insult. According to her, the student protest was attempting to highlight long standing civic issues around the college, including garbage accumulation on the main road leading to the campus, which they felt had not received adequate attention from authorities.

Another student provided additional context to the remark that became central to the controversy. She explained that during the student protest, a teacher had referred to Tina Dabi as a role model. In response, the student leader reportedly said that their role models were historical figures such as Ahilyabai Holkar and Rani Durgavati. The students argued that this exchange was part of a broader discussion and did not justify police intervention.

Students also questioned the timing of the arrests. They claimed that the police action occurred only after the student protest outside the college had ended. If there had truly been a law and order concern, they asked, why were the student leaders not detained during the demonstration itself. This sequence of events, they alleged, suggested that the arrests were reactionary and aimed at discouraging further dissent.

As the sit in continued, students warned that they would not leave the police station until the detained leaders were released. They accused the administration of attempting to silence legitimate student protest over rising education costs, an issue they said affects students from economically weaker backgrounds the most. For many protesters, the fee hike symbolised broader concerns about access to education and the lack of dialogue between authorities and students.

Amid growing tensions, District Collector Tina Dabi responded to the controversy in a phone statement. She downplayed the incident, describing the detentions as routine measures taken to maintain law and order. According to her, officials faced misbehaviour during the protest, prompting the police to intervene to prevent the situation from escalating further.

The collector also clarified that no formal case was registered against the leaders of student protest and that they were released shortly thereafter. This step was seen as an effort to calm the situation and prevent further unrest, even as dissatisfaction among students continued to simmer.

The episode has sparked debate in Barmer over the handling of student protests and the balance between maintaining public order and respecting the right to dissent. While the immediate crisis was defused with the release of the detained leaders, the underlying issues of fee hikes, civic neglect, and trust between students and the administration remain unresolved. For many students, the student protest has become not just about fees, but about being heard in a system they feel often overlooks their concerns.