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{{ | {{short description|Leftist student organisation in India}} | ||
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2015}} | {{Use Indian English|date=October 2015}} | ||
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}} | {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}} | ||
{{Infobox organization | {{Infobox political youth organization|name=Students' Federation of India|colorcode=#FF0E16|logo=SFI-flag.svg|president=Adarsh M Saji|secretary general=[[Srijan Bhattacharyya]]|founded={{Start date and age|df=y|1970|12|30}}|headquarters=[[New Delhi]], [[India]]|membership_year=2014-15|membership={{increase}} 4,300,405<ref>{{cite web |title=Membership |publisher=Students' Federation of India |url=http://sficec.in/about-sfi/membership}}</ref>|ideology=[[Scientific socialism]]<br/>[[Anti-imperialism]]<br/>[[Anti-colonialism]]|mother party=[[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]]<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Martelli |first1=Jean-Thomas |title=The Spillovers of Competition: Value-based Activism and Political Cross-fertilization in an Indian Campus |journal=Student Politics in South Asia |date=2019 |volume=22 |doi=10.4000/samaj.6501}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Left-affiliated AISA, SFI to contest DUSU polls in alliance |url=https://www.thestatesman.com/cities/left-affiliated-aisa-sfi-to-contest-dusu-polls-in-alliance-1503343852.html |website=The Statesman |access-date=18 November 2025 |date=16 September 2024}}</ref>|website=http://sficec.in/}}{{Communism in India}} | ||
| name | {{Socialism sidebar}} | ||
| logo | The '''Students' Federation of India (SFI)''' is a [[socialist]] student organisation in India. | ||
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The | == History of the organisation == | ||
The origin of Indian students movement in its organised form can be traced to the formation of [[All India Students' Federation]] (AISF) on 12 August 1936 to further anti-imperialist politics.<ref name="peoplesdemocracy">{{Cite web|title=SFI: A Movement of Study, Struggle and Sacrifice For a Scientific, Secular Education |url=https://peoplesdemocracy.in/2015/0111_pd/sfi-movement-study-struggle-and-sacrifice-scientific-secular-education|access-date=16 August 2020|website=peoplesdemocracy.in|archive-date=19 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019132620/https://peoplesdemocracy.in/2015/0111_pd/sfi-movement-study-struggle-and-sacrifice-scientific-secular-education|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
Since the 1940s–1950s, several ideological debates fathomed within the AISF, regarding the analysis of the Indian society, the nature of the Indian state and its attitude towards students. A strong body of opinion emerged as to oppose the existing predominant view within the AISF, to cooperate and compromise with the nation's ruling classes towards a so-called progressive end. They called for militancy in student movements, aimed towards a progressive reorientation of the existing education system. As political differences between dissenting factions within the AISF developed, added with their negligence on student issues, it split into several local organizations which started working independently. In 1970, delegates from such organizations held a conference in [[Thiruvananthapuram]] to form a new national students' organisation. The All India Conference was held from 27 to 30 December, and resulted in formation of Students' Federation of India.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sfiwb.org/pdf/History_of_SFI.pdf|title=History_of_SFI|access-date=9 September 2017|archive-date=15 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215075247/http://www.sfiwb.org/pdf/History_of_SFI.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sficec.org/organisation/programme|title=Programme of Students' Federation of India|date=11 January 2015|access-date=20 April 2020|archive-date=5 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200505172456/http://www.sficec.org/organisation/programme|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
|+Former national office bearers<ref>{{Cite news|first=Akshaya|last=Mukul|title=CPM witnesses 'generational change'|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/CPM-witnesses-generational-change/articleshow/1474065.cms|access-date=10 May 2020|website=The Times of India|date=3 April 2006 |archive-date=1 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200701124124/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/CPM-witnesses-generational-change/articleshow/1474065.cms|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|author=Romita Datta|date=November 1, 2019|title=Calling the Youth|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/states/story/20191111-calling-the-youth-1614455-2019-11-01|access-date=10 May 2020|magazine=India Today|archive-date=30 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630233021/https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/states/story/20191111-calling-the-youth-1614455-2019-11-01|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=30 January 2017|title=Beyond campuses and old bastions, SFI looks to new frontiers|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/beyond-campuses-and-old-bastions-sfi-looks-to-new-frontiers/story-yYWIJNx87ZJmtV4OmD7UWI.html|access-date=10 May 2020|website=Hindustan Times|archive-date=30 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190730120316/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/beyond-campuses-and-old-bastions-sfi-looks-to-new-frontiers/story-yYWIJNx87ZJmtV4OmD7UWI.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Parent in pain, SFI 'strikes' - Kerala unit debates whether to shun campus shutdowns|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/parent-in-pain-sfi-strikes-kerala-unit-debates-whether-to-shun-campus-shutdowns/cid/163001|access-date=10 May 2020|website=The Telegraph|location=Kolkota|archive-date=30 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630171438/https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/parent-in-pain-sfi-strikes-kerala-unit-debates-whether-to-shun-campus-shutdowns/cid/163001|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=19 April 2015|title=From an activist to CPI-M general secretary: Sitaram Yechury's journey|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/from-an-activist-to-cpi-m-general-secretary-sitaram-yechury-s-journey/story-y60xscFcwfRO94oiQZlgCJ.html|access-date=10 May 2020|website=Hindustan Times|archive-date=30 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630194843/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/from-an-activist-to-cpi-m-general-secretary-sitaram-yechury-s-journey/story-y60xscFcwfRO94oiQZlgCJ.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=9 January 2020|title=Campus agitations in Bengal a sign of rising movement, feel stakeholders|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/campus-agitations-in-bengal-a-sign-of-rising-movement-feel-stakeholders/story-6ep2Ocdq69WuqPYkpKcHbN.html|access-date=10 May 2020|website=Hindustan Times|archive-date=30 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630184635/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/campus-agitations-in-bengal-a-sign-of-rising-movement-feel-stakeholders/story-6ep2Ocdq69WuqPYkpKcHbN.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=SFI Golden Jubilee Celebrations Begin |url=https://peoplesdemocracy.in/2019/0825_pd/sfi-golden-jubilee-celebrations-begin|access-date=10 May 2020|website=peoplesdemocracy.in|archive-date=30 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630171116/https://peoplesdemocracy.in/2019/0825_pd/sfi-golden-jubilee-celebrations-begin|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
|- style="background:#ccc; text-align:center;" | |- style="background:#ccc; text-align:center;" | ||
! No. !! Year !! Place of | ! No. !! Year !! Place of conference !! President !! General secretary | ||
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | |- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | ||
| 1 || 1970 || [[ | | 1 || 1970 || [[Thiruvananthapuram]]||C. Bhaskaran|| rowspan="3" |[[Biman Bose]] | ||
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | |- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | ||
| 2 || 1973 || Delhi (CEC Meeting)||[[Prakash Karat]] | | 2 || 1973<ref>{{Cite web|title=Prakash Karat: A leader from his student days - Indian Express|url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/prakash-karat-a-leader-from-his-student-days/934517/|access-date=10 May 2020|website=The Indian Express|archive-date=3 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220703174550/http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/prakash-karat-a-leader-from-his-student-days/934517/|url-status=live}}</ref> || [[Delhi]] (CEC Meeting)|| rowspan="3" |[[Prakash Karat]] | ||
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | |- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | ||
| 3 || 1974|| [[ | | 3 || 1974|| [[Kolkata]] | ||
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | |- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | ||
| 4 || 1976 || | | 4 || 1976 || [[Kolkata]] (CEC Meeting) ||[[Subhas Chakraborty]] | ||
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | |- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | ||
| 5 || 1978 || [[Patna]] ||[[M. A. Baby]]||[[Nepaldev Bhattacharjee | | 5 || 1978 || [[Patna]] || rowspan="2" |[[M. A. Baby]]|| rowspan="3" |[[Nepaldev Bhattacharjee]] | ||
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | |- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | ||
| 6 || 1981 || [[ | | 6 || 1981 || [[Mumbai]] | ||
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | |- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | ||
| 7 || 1984 || [[ | | 7 || 1984<ref>{{Cite web|date=19 April 2015|title=Know Sitaram Yechury, the Man who Heads Indian Communism|url=https://www.thequint.com/politics/2015/04/19/who-is-sitaram-yechury-2015-apr-19|access-date=10 May 2020|website=The Quint|archive-date=3 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220703174550/https://www.thequint.com/news/politics/who-is-sitaram-yechury-2015-apr-19|url-status=live}}</ref> || [[Dum Dum]] ||[[Sitaram Yechury]] | ||
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | |- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | ||
| 8 || 1986 || [[Vijayawada]] ||[[A. Vijayaraghavan]]||[[Nilotpal Basu]] | | 8 || 1986 || [[Vijayawada]] || rowspan="2" |[[A. Vijayaraghavan]]|| rowspan="2" |[[Nilotpal Basu]] | ||
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | |- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | ||
| 9 || 1989 || | | 9 || 1989 || [[Kolkata]] | ||
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | |- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | ||
| 10 || 1993 || | | 10 || 1993 || [[Thiruvananthapuram]]||Y. B. Rao||[[Sujan Chakraborty]] | ||
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | |- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | ||
| 11 || 1997 || [[Midnapore]] ||[[K. N. Balagopal]]||[[Bratin Sengupta]] | | 11 || 1997 || [[Midnapore]] ||[[K. N. Balagopal]]||[[Bratin Sengupta]] | ||
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | |- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | ||
| 12 || 2000 || [[Chennai]] ||[[ | | 12 || 2000 || [[Chennai]] ||[[P. Krishna Prasad]]||[[Samik Lahiri]] | ||
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | |||
| 13 || 2003<ref>{{Cite news|title=SFI protests against govt's education policy |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thiruvananthapuram/SFI-protests-against-govts-education-policy/articleshow/69798.cms|access-date=10 May 2020|website=The Times of India|date=11 July 2003 |archive-date=11 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811133940/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thiruvananthapuram/SFI-protests-against-govts-education-policy/articleshow/69798.cms|url-status=live}}</ref> || [[Kozhikode]] ||[[K. K. Ragesh]]||Kallol Roy | |||
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | |- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | ||
| | | 14 || 2005<ref>{{Cite web|title=SIT to interrogate former SFI President K K Ragesh|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2012/jun/28/sit-to-interrogate-former-sfi-president-k-k-ragesh-381580.html|access-date=10 May 2020|website=The New Indian Express|archive-date=2 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702033137/https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2012/jun/28/sit-to-interrogate-former-sfi-president-k-k-ragesh-381580.html|url-status=live}}</ref> || [[Hyderabad]] ||R. Arun Kumar||[[K. K. Ragesh]] | ||
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | |- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | ||
| | | 15 || 2008 || [[Bidhannagar]]||[[P. K. Biju]]|| rowspan="2" |[[Ritabrata Banerjee]] | ||
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | |- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | ||
| | | 16 || 2012<ref>{{Cite web|title=SFI National President V Sivadasan: Latest News & Videos, Photos about SFI National President V Sivadasan |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/topic/SFI-National-President-V-Sivadasan|access-date=10 May 2020|website=The Economic Times|archive-date=3 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703112108/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/topic/SFI-National-President-V-Sivadasan|url-status=live}}</ref> || [[Madurai]] ||[[V. Sivadasan]] | ||
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | |- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | ||
| | | 17 || 2016 || [[Sikar]] || rowspan="3" |[[V. P. Sanu]]||Vikram Singh | ||
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | |- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | ||
| | | 18 || 2018<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Narayanan|first1=Nitheesh|date=10 December 2018|title=16th All India Conference of Students Federation of India Concludes|url=https://studentstruggle.in/16th-all-india-conference-students-federation-india-shimla/|access-date=10 May 2020|website=Student Struggle|archive-date=30 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630171106/https://studentstruggle.in/16th-all-india-conference-students-federation-india-shimla/|url-status=live}}</ref> || [[Shimla]] || rowspan="2" |Mayukh Biswas | ||
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | |- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;" | ||
| | | 19 || 2022 || [[Hyderabad]] | ||
| | |- style="text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;" | ||
| | |20 | ||
|2025<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Service |first=Express News |date=2025-06-30 |title=Adarsh M Saji elected SFI All India president, Srijan Bhattacharya general secretary |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2025/Jun/30/adarsh-m-saji-elected-sfi-all-india-president-srijan-bhattacharya-general-secretary |access-date=2025-07-05 |website=The New Indian Express |language=en}}</ref> | |||
|[[Kozhikode]] | |||
|Adarsh M Saji | |||
|[[Srijan Bhattacharya]] | |||
|} | |||
==Presence and structure == | |||
The Students' Federation of India in 2024{{endash}}25 has 24 functioning state committees. It started its first international unit in the United Kingdom in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mathew, Nikhil | date=2022-11-19 |title=On SFI’s First International Unit |url=https://studentstruggle.in/on-sfis-first-international-unit/ |access-date=2026-03-14 |website=Student Struggle |language=en}}</ref> They are a major student force in Kerala and West Bengal. Currently, they also hold student unions in various universities across India, including Hyderabad Central University<ref>{{Cite web |last=S |first=Karthikeya |date=2024-10-28 |title=HCU Student Union elections 2024: "Left panel represents all students," says President-elect Umesh Ambedkar |url=https://www.edexlive.com/breaking/2024/Oct/28/hcu-student-union-elections-2024-left-panel-represents-all-students-says-president-elect-umesh-ambedkar-2 |access-date=2025-07-05 |website=EdexLive |language=en}}</ref> and <bdi>Pondicherry University</bdi><bdi>.</bdi><ref>{{Cite web |last=Desk |first=EdexLive |date=2024-12-03 |title=Pondicherry University announces student council elections after 5-year hiatus |url=https://www.edexlive.com/news/2024/Dec/03/pondicherry-university-announces-student-council-elections-after-5-year-hiatus |access-date=2025-07-05 |website=EdexLive |language=en}}</ref> | |||
== SFI Central Executive Committee == | |||
SFI's 18th All India Conference was held from 27 June to 30 June 2025 at Kozhikode, Kerala. The Conference was Organized at Palestine Solidarity Nagar and Sitaram Yechury - Nepaldeb Bhattacharya Manch.<ref name=":0" /> | |||
==Activities== | ==Activities== | ||
===Protest and demands=== | ===Protest and demands=== | ||
SFI has protested against the [[National Education Policy 2020|National Education Policy]], 2019,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Six reasons why SFI thinks the New Education Policy will destroy Indian Education as we know it|url=https://www.edexlive.com/news/2019/jul/29/six-reasons-why-sfi-thinks-the-new-education-policy-will-destroy-indian-education-as-we-know-it-7283.html|website=The New Indian Express|access-date=7 May 2020|archive-date=2 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702102732/https://www.edexlive.com/news/2019/jul/29/six-reasons-why-sfi-thinks-the-new-education-policy-will-destroy-indian-education-as-we-know-it-7283.html|url-status=live}}</ref> hike in fees,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Pondicherry University students go on indefinite hunger strike demanding rollback of fee hike|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/education/2019/jul/26/pondicherry-university-students-go-on-indefinite-hunger-strike-demanding-rollback-of-fee-hike-2009749.html|website=The New Indian Express|access-date=7 May 2020|archive-date=3 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703071034/https://www.newindianexpress.com/education/2019/jul/26/pondicherry-university-students-go-on-indefinite-hunger-strike-demanding-rollback-of-fee-hike-2009749.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=20 November 2019|title=SFI activists protest in support of JNU students|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/telangana/sfi-activists-protest-in-support-of-jnu-students/article30029421.ece|access-date=7 May 2020|issn=0971-751X|archive-date=1 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200701153056/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/telangana/sfi-activists-protest-in-support-of-jnu-students/article30029421.ece|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title='Attack on education': Now, AIIMS, IIT students join JNU fee hike protest|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/delhi/2019/nov/28/aiims--iit-students-join-jnu-fee-hike-protest-at-cp-2068343.html|website=The New Indian Express|access-date=7 May 2020|archive-date=3 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703093454/https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/delhi/2019/nov/28/aiims--iit-students-join-jnu-fee-hike-protest-at-cp-2068343.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and under-representation of reserved students in [[Indian Institutes of Technology|IITs]].<ref name="indiatimes">{{Cite web|title=Fewer number of SC/ST scholars in IITs: SFI calls for study|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/fewer-no-of-sc/st-scholars-in-iits-sfi-calls-for-study/articleshow/72629760.cms|date=15 December 2019|website=The Times of India|access-date=8 May 2020|archive-date=22 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210222145958/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/fewer-no-of-sc/st-scholars-in-iits-sfi-calls-for-study/articleshow/72629760.cms|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
SFI members took part and organised multiple [[Citizenship Amendment Act protests]] in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Youth bodies, student unions join forces to oppose CAA in Delhi|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/youth-bodies-student-unions-join-forces-to-oppose-caa-in-delhi-6183424/|date=25 December 2019|website=The Indian Express|access-date=7 May 2020|archive-date=13 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213035321/https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/youth-bodies-student-unions-join-forces-to-oppose-caa-in-delhi-6183424/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Anti-CAA posters in colleges land SFI in soup|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kozhikode/anti-caa-posters-in-colleges-land-sfi-in-soup/articleshow/74447657.cms|date=3 March 2020|website=The Times of India|access-date=7 May 2020|archive-date=3 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200303132858/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kozhikode/anti-caa-posters-in-colleges-land-sfi-in-soup/articleshow/74447657.cms|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Anti-CAA protests gather steam|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thiruvananthapuram/anti-caa-protests-gather-steam/articleshow/72892813.cms|date=20 December 2019|website=The Times of India|access-date=7 May 2020|archive-date=25 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200825005312/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thiruvananthapuram/anti-caa-protests-gather-steam/articleshow/72892813.cms|url-status=live}}</ref> The SFI marched to the Parliament in one such protest.<ref>{{Cite news|date=14 December 2019|title=SFI march against CAA tomorrow|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/kozhikode/sfi-march-against-caa-tomorrow/article30306844.ece|access-date=7 May 2020|issn=0971-751X|archive-date=24 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200824183538/https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/kozhikode/sfi-march-against-caa-tomorrow/article30306844.ece|url-status=live}}</ref> Further, the SFI even approached the Supreme Court against the act.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Students Federation of India moves SC over Citizenship Act|url=https://www.deccanherald.com/national/students-federation-of-india-moves-sc-over-citizenship-act-795920.html|date=18 January 2020|website=Deccan Herald|access-date=7 May 2020|archive-date=26 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726162352/https://www.deccanherald.com/national/students-federation-of-india-moves-sc-over-citizenship-act-795920.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Students federation moves SC challenging Citizenship (Amendment) Act|url=https://asianews.network/2020/01/20/students-federation-moves-sc-challenging-citizenship-amendment-act/|website=ANN|access-date=7 May 2020|archive-date=26 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726214024/https://asianews.network/2020/01/20/students-federation-moves-sc-challenging-citizenship-amendment-act/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|agency=PTI|date=19 January 2020|title=SFI moves Supreme Court challenging Citizenship Amendment Act|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/sfi-moves-sc-challenging-citizenship-amendment-act/article30600391.ece|access-date=7 May 2020|issn=0971-751X|archive-date=3 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200303023936/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/sfi-moves-sc-challenging-citizenship-amendment-act/article30600391.ece|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
During the [[COVID-19 lockdown in India]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Student Body Demands Suspension Of Room Rents During Lockdown|url=https://www.ndtv.com/education/covid-19-lockdown-student-body-demands-suspension-of-room-rents-during-lockdown-2218632|website=NDTV.com|access-date=7 May 2020|archive-date=5 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200505040645/https://www.ndtv.com/education/covid-19-lockdown-student-body-demands-suspension-of-room-rents-during-lockdown-2218632|url-status=live}}</ref> SFI distributed sanitary napkins to female students in West Bengal<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bengal: Stores running out of stock, online services hit, SFI cushions sanitary pad scarcity|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/kolkata/bengal-stores-running-out-of-stock-online-services-hit-sfi-cushions-sanitary-pad-scarcity-6349169/|date=6 April 2020|website=The Indian Express|access-date=7 May 2020|archive-date=10 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200410152553/https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/kolkata/bengal-stores-running-out-of-stock-online-services-hit-sfi-cushions-sanitary-pad-scarcity-6349169/|url-status=live}}</ref> and demanded their inclusion in essential commodities in Himachal Pradesh. SFI set up COVID-19 helpline numbers in various states to help stranded students.<ref name="edexlive">{{Cite web|title=SFI activists sent vital COVID-19 alerts to migrant labourers as WhatsApp messages in their native tongues|url=https://www.edexlive.com/news/2020/mar/31/sfi-activists-sent-vital-covid-19-alerts-to-migrant-labourers-as-whatsapp-messages-in-their-native-t-10994.html|website=The New Indian Express|access-date=8 May 2020|archive-date=30 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630203421/https://www.edexlive.com/news/2020/mar/31/sfi-activists-sent-vital-covid-19-alerts-to-migrant-labourers-as-whatsapp-messages-in-their-native-t-10994.html|url-status=live}}</ref> To combat misinformation and reach out to the migrant labourers in various places, SFI launched a campaign named "My dear friend" where verified information from government sources are translated into various Indian languages and circulated through social media.<ref name="edexlive" /> Online art festivals, lecture series and online classes were also organised by various SFI committee's.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Coronavirus: Online art festival, another lockdown innovation in Kerala|url=https://www.deccanherald.com/national/south/coronavirus-online-art-festival-another-lockdown-innovation-in-kerala-823835.html|date=10 April 2020|website=Deccan Herald|access-date=8 May 2020|archive-date=10 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200410163819/https://www.deccanherald.com/national/south/coronavirus-online-art-festival-another-lockdown-innovation-in-kerala-823835.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Games, contests galore in Kerala to cheer people up during COVID-19 lockdown|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/2020/apr/13/games-contests-galore-in-kerala-to-cheer-people-up-during-covid-19-lockdown-2129270.html|website=The New Indian Express|access-date=8 May 2020|archive-date=17 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200517074844/https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/2020/apr/13/games-contests-galore-in-kerala-to-cheer-people-up-during-covid-19-lockdown-2129270.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="newsclick.in">{{Cite web|title=COVID-19: How Students and Youths in Kerala Are Doing Their Share|url=https://www.newsclick.in/COVID-19-how-students-youths-kerala-doing-their-share|date=21 March 2020|website=NewsClick|access-date=8 May 2020|archive-date=22 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200322131043/https://www.newsclick.in/COVID-19-how-students-youths-kerala-doing-their-share|url-status=live}}</ref> SFI also produced face masks and hand sanitisers.<ref name="newsclick.in" /> | |||
SFI had won court cases for regulating private coaching centres in India.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Regulation Of Private Coaching Centres: SC Asks Petitioner To Approach Authorities [Read Order]|url=https://www.livelaw.in/regulation-private-coaching-centres-sc-asks-petitioner-approach-authorities-read-order/|date=4 February 2017|website=livelaw.in|access-date=7 May 2020|archive-date=30 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630184601/https://www.livelaw.in/regulation-private-coaching-centres-sc-asks-petitioner-approach-authorities-read-order/|url-status=live}}</ref> They also had movements against the delay in fellowships and scholarships for university students.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-08-07 |title=SFI holds ‘Chalo assembly’ rally, picked by cops |work=The Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/sfi-holds-chalo-assembly-rally-picked-by-cops/articleshow/102484974.cms?from=mdr |access-date=2023-08-24 |issn=0971-8257}}</ref> | |||
SFI and DYFI activists jointly posted 1.5 lakh (150,000) letters to the Prime Minister's office after a [[first information report]] (FIR) for [[sedition]] was lodged against 49 celebrities who condemned [[lynching]]s of [[Islam in India|Muslims]], [[Dalit]]s, and other minorities in India.<ref>{{Cite web|title=SFI, DYFI bombard PMO with 1.5 lakh posted letters protesting FIR against 49 'seditious' artists|url=https://www.edexlive.com/news/2019/oct/08/sfi-dyfi-bombard-pmo-with-15-lakh-posted-letters-protesting-fir-against-49-seditious-artists-8592.html|website=The New Indian Express|access-date=8 May 2020|archive-date=2 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702140949/https://www.edexlive.com/news/2019/oct/08/sfi-dyfi-bombard-pmo-with-15-lakh-posted-letters-protesting-fir-against-49-seditious-artists-8592.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2019-10-05 |title=Row erupts over sedition FIR against 49 celebrities |work=The Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/row-erupts-over-sedition-fir-against-49-celebrities/articleshow/71449265.cms |access-date=2023-02-22 |issn=0971-8257}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-07-29 |title=After letter to PM Modi on lynchings, Anurag Kashyap takes on trolls |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/after-letter-to-pm-modi-on-lynchings-anurag-kashyap-takes-on-trolls/story-PS6X9cCcpjebxagdeDoiEJ.html |access-date=2023-02-22 |website=Hindustan Times |language=en}}</ref> | |||
SFI approached Supreme Court seeking directions to provide universal free vaccination to all citizens of India and to waive off the goods and service tax levied on the import of the oxygen concentrators used for personal use during the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ojha|first=Srishti|date=2021-05-08|title=Students Federation Of India(SFI) Moves Supreme Court Seeking Free COVID Vaccination, GST Waiver On Oxygen Concentrators|url=https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/students-federation-of-india-sfi-moves-supreme-court-seeking-free-covid-vaccination-gst-waiver-on-oxygen-concentrators-173859|access-date=2021-05-11|website=www.livelaw.in|language=en|archive-date=11 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511220230/https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/students-federation-of-india-sfi-moves-supreme-court-seeking-free-covid-vaccination-gst-waiver-on-oxygen-concentrators-173859|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=കൊവിഡ് പ്രതിരോധ വാക്സിന് എല്ലാ പൗരന്മാര്ക്കും സൗജന്യമായി നല്കണം; സുപ്രീം കോടതിയെ സമീപിച്ച് എസ്.എഫ്.ഐ|url=https://www.doolnews.com/sfi-seeks-supreme-court-s-intervention-in-covid-affaisrs-and-asks-universal-free-vaccination-programme-132.html|access-date=2021-05-11|website=DoolNews|language=ml|archive-date=11 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511214731/https://www.doolnews.com/sfi-seeks-supreme-court-s-intervention-in-covid-affaisrs-and-asks-universal-free-vaccination-programme-132.html|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
===Red Volunteers and other social works=== | ===Red Volunteers and other social works=== | ||
SFI along with DYFI, the youth wing of [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]], runs [[Red Volunteers]], [[Sramajibi Canteen]] and involves in various social works.<ref name="auto2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.anandabazar.com/west-bengal/youth-cpm-deploys-red-volunteers-to-help-out-in-covid-fight/cid/1277860|title=Youth CPM deploys Red Volunteers to help out in Covid fight|website=www.anandabazar.com}}</ref><ref name="auto3">{{Cite web|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2021/ | SFI along with DYFI, the youth wing of [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]], runs [[Red Volunteers]], [[Sramajibi Canteen]] and involves in various social works.<ref name="auto2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.anandabazar.com/west-bengal/youth-cpm-deploys-red-volunteers-to-help-out-in-covid-fight/cid/1277860|title=Youth CPM deploys Red Volunteers to help out in Covid fight|website=www.anandabazar.com|language=bn|access-date=9 August 2021|archive-date=11 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711211959/https://www.anandabazar.com/west-bengal/youth-cpm-deploys-red-volunteers-to-help-out-in-covid-fight/cid/1277860|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="auto3">{{Cite web|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2021/May/23/cpms-student-youth-wings-back-in-bengal-streets-to-run-community-kitchens-for-lockdown-hit-people-2306528.html|title=CPM's student, youth wings back in Bengal streets to run community kitchens for lockdown-hit people - The New Indian Express|website=www.newindianexpress.com|access-date=9 August 2021|archive-date=27 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210727015110/https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2021/may/23/cpms-student-youth-wings-back-in-bengal-streets-to-run-community-kitchens-for-lockdown-hit-people-2306528.amp|url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
===Women in SFI=== | ===Women in SFI=== | ||
From 27 to 29 January 2017, the 5th All India Girls Convention was held at Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh and it elected a 23-member team of girls’ sub-committee.<ref>{{Cite web|title=All India Girls' Convention of SFI Held in Vijayawada | From 27 to 29 January 2017, the 5th All India Girls Convention was held at Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh and it elected a 23-member team of girls’ sub-committee.<ref>{{Cite web|title=All India Girls' Convention of SFI Held in Vijayawada|url=https://peoplesdemocracy.in/2017/0212_pd/all-india-girls%E2%80%99-convention-sfi-held-vijayawada|website=peoplesdemocracy.in|access-date=8 May 2020|archive-date=27 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727041509/https://peoplesdemocracy.in/2017/0212_pd/all-india-girls%E2%80%99-convention-sfi-held-vijayawada|url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
====Bleed Without Fear, Bleed Without Tax==== | ====Bleed Without Fear, Bleed Without Tax==== | ||
Protesting against the imposition of 12% tax on sanitary napkins, the women sub-committee of SFI protested nationwide in July 2017.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Staff Reporter|date=14 July 2017|title=Protest against GST on sanitary napkins|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Thiruvananthapuram/protest-against-gst-on-sanitary-napkins/article19273621.ece|access-date=7 May 2020|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> The campaign was named "Bleed Without Fear, Bleed Without Tax". Petitions were submitted to the Union Finance Minister [[Arun Jaitley]] for revoking the government decision.<ref name="thenewsminute">{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/bleed-without-tax-sfi-sends-sanitary-napkins-arun-jaitley-65086|title=Bleed without tax: SFI sends sanitary napkins to Arun Jaitley|date=12 July 2017|first1=Saritha S|last1=Balan|website=The News Minute|access-date=7 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=SFI activists send sanitary napkins to Arun Jaitley in response to GST on pads|url=https://www.newslaundry.com/2017/07/13/sfi-activists-send-sanitary-napkins-to-arun-jaitley-in-response-to-gst-on-pads|last1=Dhar|first1=Dipsita|website=Newslaundry|access-date=7 May 2020}}</ref> Thousands of girl students mailed sanitary napkins with protest slogans to Arun Jaitley's office.<ref name="thenewsminute"/><ref name="edexlive2">{{Cite web|title=SFI has 'bloody' good idea: Asks students to send pads to Finance ministry to protest GST on sanitary napkins|url=https://www.edexlive.com/live-story/2017/jul/11/sfi-hatches-master-plan-to-send-sanitary-pads-to-arun-jaitley-to-protests-aginst-12-percent-gst-804.html|website=The New Indian Express|access-date=7 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=12 July 2017|title=GST: SFI activists post sanitary pads to Arun Jaitely|work=The Economic Times|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/gst-sfi-activists-post-sanitary-pads-to-arun-jaitely/articleshow/59561500.cms|access-date=7 May 2020}}</ref> This campaign was similar to that of the [[Pink Chaddi Campaign]] in 2009.<ref name="edexlive2"/> The campaign also demanded the installation of adequate sanitary napkin vending machines in schools and colleges and providing six packets of sanitary napkins for one rupee to the women below poverty line.<ref name="edexlive2"/> | Protesting against the imposition of 12% tax on sanitary napkins, the women sub-committee of SFI protested nationwide in July 2017.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Staff Reporter|date=14 July 2017|title=Protest against GST on sanitary napkins|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Thiruvananthapuram/protest-against-gst-on-sanitary-napkins/article19273621.ece|access-date=7 May 2020|issn=0971-751X|archive-date=1 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200701124043/https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Thiruvananthapuram/protest-against-gst-on-sanitary-napkins/article19273621.ece|url-status=live}}</ref> The campaign was named "Bleed Without Fear, Bleed Without Tax". Petitions were submitted to the Union Finance Minister [[Arun Jaitley]] for revoking the government decision.<ref name="thenewsminute">{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/bleed-without-tax-sfi-sends-sanitary-napkins-arun-jaitley-65086|title=Bleed without tax: SFI sends sanitary napkins to Arun Jaitley|date=12 July 2017|first1=Saritha S|last1=Balan|website=The News Minute|access-date=7 May 2020|archive-date=30 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630233646/https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/bleed-without-tax-sfi-sends-sanitary-napkins-arun-jaitley-65086|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=SFI activists send sanitary napkins to Arun Jaitley in response to GST on pads|url=https://www.newslaundry.com/2017/07/13/sfi-activists-send-sanitary-napkins-to-arun-jaitley-in-response-to-gst-on-pads|last1=Dhar|first1=Dipsita|website=Newslaundry|access-date=7 May 2020|archive-date=30 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630173637/https://www.newslaundry.com/2017/07/13/sfi-activists-send-sanitary-napkins-to-arun-jaitley-in-response-to-gst-on-pads|url-status=live}}</ref> Thousands of girl students mailed sanitary napkins with protest slogans to Arun Jaitley's office.<ref name="thenewsminute"/><ref name="edexlive2">{{Cite web|title=SFI has 'bloody' good idea: Asks students to send pads to Finance ministry to protest GST on sanitary napkins|url=https://www.edexlive.com/live-story/2017/jul/11/sfi-hatches-master-plan-to-send-sanitary-pads-to-arun-jaitley-to-protests-aginst-12-percent-gst-804.html|website=The New Indian Express|access-date=7 May 2020|archive-date=3 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703071802/https://www.edexlive.com/live-story/2017/jul/11/sfi-hatches-master-plan-to-send-sanitary-pads-to-arun-jaitley-to-protests-aginst-12-percent-gst-804.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=12 July 2017|title=GST: SFI activists post sanitary pads to Arun Jaitely|work=The Economic Times|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/gst-sfi-activists-post-sanitary-pads-to-arun-jaitely/articleshow/59561500.cms|access-date=7 May 2020|archive-date=30 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200830071713/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/gst-sfi-activists-post-sanitary-pads-to-arun-jaitely/articleshow/59561500.cms|url-status=live}}</ref> This campaign was similar to that of the [[Pink Chaddi Campaign]] in 2009.<ref name="edexlive2"/> The campaign also demanded the installation of adequate sanitary napkin vending machines in schools and colleges and providing six packets of sanitary napkins for one rupee to the women below poverty line.<ref name="edexlive2"/> | ||
====All-women panels==== | ====All-women panels==== | ||
Female candidates of the SFI won all seats in a mixed college by fielding an all-women panel for students union elections<ref name="newindianexpress">{{Cite web|title=Women to lead at Sree Sankaracharya Sanskrit University|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/2017/dec/24/women-to-lead-at-sree-sankaracharya-sanskrit-university-1736179.html|website=The New Indian Express|access-date=8 May 2020}}</ref> in [[Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit]], Kalady in 2017.<ref name="newindianexpress"/><ref name="newindianexpress.com">{{Cite web|title=These Kerala colleges' all-woman unions strive to break gender stereotypes|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2018/mar/08/these-kerala-colleges-all-woman-unions-strive-to-break-gender-stereotypes-1783984.html|website=The New Indian Express|access-date=8 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=വനിതാദിനത്തില് വിപ്ലവം രചിച്ച് സംസ്കൃത സര്വകലാശാലയിലെ പെണ്കരുത്ത്; ഭാരവാഹികള് ചുമതലയേറ്റു|url=https://www.asianetnews.com/local-news/union-bearers-of-kalady-sanskit-university-took-oath-in-women-s-day-po240g|website=Asianet News Network Pvt Ltd|language=ml|access-date=8 May 2020}}</ref> An SFI member became the first Dalit woman to be elected as the chairperson in [[Maharaja's College, Ernakulam]] in 2017.<ref name="indiatimes2">{{Cite web|title=First woman chairperson: Women's issues will be my priority: says Mridhula Gopi, the first girl to become chairperson of Maharaja's College in 70 years|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/womens-issues-will-be-my-priority/articleshow/60192020.cms|first1=Deepika|last1=Jayaram |date=24 August 2017|website=The Times of India|access-date=7 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Women power boosts SFI win Students' Federation of India|url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/in-other-news/230817/women-power-boosts-sfi-win-students-federation-of-india.html|date=23 August 2017|website=Deccan Chronicle|access-date=8 May 2020}}</ref> | Female candidates of the SFI won all seats in a mixed college by fielding an all-women panel for students union elections<ref name="newindianexpress">{{Cite web|title=Women to lead at Sree Sankaracharya Sanskrit University|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/2017/dec/24/women-to-lead-at-sree-sankaracharya-sanskrit-university-1736179.html|website=The New Indian Express|access-date=8 May 2020|archive-date=27 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727021006/https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/2017/dec/24/women-to-lead-at-sree-sankaracharya-sanskrit-university-1736179.html|url-status=live}}</ref> in [[Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit]], Kalady in 2017.<ref name="newindianexpress"/><ref name="newindianexpress.com">{{Cite web|title=These Kerala colleges' all-woman unions strive to break gender stereotypes|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2018/mar/08/these-kerala-colleges-all-woman-unions-strive-to-break-gender-stereotypes-1783984.html|website=The New Indian Express|access-date=8 May 2020|archive-date=27 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727013528/https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2018/mar/08/these-kerala-colleges-all-woman-unions-strive-to-break-gender-stereotypes-1783984.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=വനിതാദിനത്തില് വിപ്ലവം രചിച്ച് സംസ്കൃത സര്വകലാശാലയിലെ പെണ്കരുത്ത്; ഭാരവാഹികള് ചുമതലയേറ്റു|url=https://www.asianetnews.com/local-news/union-bearers-of-kalady-sanskit-university-took-oath-in-women-s-day-po240g|website=Asianet News Network Pvt Ltd|language=ml|access-date=8 May 2020|archive-date=27 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727042709/https://www.asianetnews.com/local-news/union-bearers-of-kalady-sanskit-university-took-oath-in-women-s-day-po240g|url-status=live}}</ref> An SFI member became the first Dalit woman to be elected as the chairperson in [[Maharaja's College, Ernakulam]] in 2017.<ref name="indiatimes2">{{Cite web|title=First woman chairperson: Women's issues will be my priority: says Mridhula Gopi, the first girl to become chairperson of Maharaja's College in 70 years|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/womens-issues-will-be-my-priority/articleshow/60192020.cms|first1=Deepika|last1=Jayaram|date=24 August 2017|website=The Times of India|access-date=7 May 2020|archive-date=3 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220703174552/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/womens-issues-will-be-my-priority/articleshow/60192020.cms|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Women power boosts SFI win Students' Federation of India|url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/in-other-news/230817/women-power-boosts-sfi-win-students-federation-of-india.html|date=23 August 2017|website=Deccan Chronicle|access-date=8 May 2020|archive-date=16 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200516180137/https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/in-other-news/230817/women-power-boosts-sfi-win-students-federation-of-india.html|url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
In 2018, all-women SFI panels won in [[CMS College Kottayam]]<ref name="newindianexpress.com"/> and contested in [[Government Victoria College, Palakkad]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=SFI makes history, contests women in full panel for union elections at Victoria college|url=https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/good-news/sfi-makes-history-contests-women-in-full-panel-for-union-elections-at-victoria-college-youth-1.3049506|website=Mathrubhumi|access-date=7 May 2020}}</ref> | In 2018, all-women SFI panels won in [[CMS College Kottayam]]<ref name="newindianexpress.com"/> and contested in [[Government Victoria College, Palakkad]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=SFI makes history, contests women in full panel for union elections at Victoria college|url=https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/good-news/sfi-makes-history-contests-women-in-full-panel-for-union-elections-at-victoria-college-youth-1.3049506|website=Mathrubhumi|access-date=7 May 2020|archive-date=27 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727044527/https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/good-news/sfi-makes-history-contests-women-in-full-panel-for-union-elections-at-victoria-college-youth-1.3049506|url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
In 2019, SFI members were elected as the first female chairpersons in [[Sacred Heart College, Thevara]], Kochi,<ref>{{Cite web|title=SFI recaptures Sacred Heart College union|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/2019/jun/29/sfi-recaptures-sacred-heart-college-union-1996877.html|website=The New Indian Express|access-date=8 May 2020}}</ref> and the [[College of Engineering, Trivandrum]] (CET).<ref name="edexlive3">{{Cite web|title=Student votes will not go in vain: CET's first woman chairperson Anjuradh TR|url=https://www.edexlive.com/people/2019/sep/05/student-votes-will-not-go-in-vain-cets-first-woman-chairperson-anjuradh-tr-7872.html|website=The New Indian Express|access-date=7 May 2020}}</ref><ref name="edexlive4">{{Cite web|title=How curfew-killer Anjuradh TR became the first woman to lead the Union at College of Engineering, Trivandrum|url=https://www.edexlive.com/campus/2019/sep/05/how-curfew-killer-anjuradh-tr-became-the-first-woman-to-lead-the-union-at-college-of-engineering-tr-7852.html|website=The New Indian Express|access-date=7 May 2020}}</ref> Earlier, the SFI had organised protests of the female hostelites of CET in February 2019 for extending the curfew timings for girls' hostels. This movement forced the government to accept the demands and Dr Usha Titus, the Higher Education Secretary of Kerala Government issued orders to enforce them.<ref name="edexlive4"/> | In 2019, SFI members were elected as the first female chairpersons in [[Sacred Heart College, Thevara]], Kochi,<ref>{{Cite web|title=SFI recaptures Sacred Heart College union|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/2019/jun/29/sfi-recaptures-sacred-heart-college-union-1996877.html|website=The New Indian Express|access-date=8 May 2020|archive-date=27 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727013531/https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/2019/jun/29/sfi-recaptures-sacred-heart-college-union-1996877.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and the [[College of Engineering, Trivandrum]] (CET).<ref name="edexlive3">{{Cite web|title=Student votes will not go in vain: CET's first woman chairperson Anjuradh TR|url=https://www.edexlive.com/people/2019/sep/05/student-votes-will-not-go-in-vain-cets-first-woman-chairperson-anjuradh-tr-7872.html|website=The New Indian Express|access-date=7 May 2020|archive-date=27 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727013527/https://www.edexlive.com/people/2019/sep/05/student-votes-will-not-go-in-vain-cets-first-woman-chairperson-anjuradh-tr-7872.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="edexlive4">{{Cite web|title=How curfew-killer Anjuradh TR became the first woman to lead the Union at College of Engineering, Trivandrum|url=https://www.edexlive.com/campus/2019/sep/05/how-curfew-killer-anjuradh-tr-became-the-first-woman-to-lead-the-union-at-college-of-engineering-tr-7852.html|website=The New Indian Express|access-date=7 May 2020|archive-date=27 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727041509/https://www.edexlive.com/campus/2019/sep/05/how-curfew-killer-anjuradh-tr-became-the-first-woman-to-lead-the-union-at-college-of-engineering-tr-7852.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Earlier, the SFI had organised protests of the female hostelites of CET in February 2019 for extending the curfew timings for girls' hostels. This movement forced the government to accept the demands and Dr Usha Titus, the Higher Education Secretary of the Kerala Government issued orders to enforce them.<ref name="edexlive4"/> | ||
====GSCASH==== | ====GSCASH==== | ||
The idea of GSCASH (Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment) was first experimented in Jawaharlal Nehru University by SFI's students union headed by [[Vijoo Krishnan]] in 1998–99.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Kanhaiya's predecessors: Where they are, what they do|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/kanhaiyas-predecessors-where-they-are-what-they-do/|date=22 February 2016|website=The Indian Express|access-date=8 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Meet JNU Alumnus Vijoo Krishnan, Man Who Inspired 50,000 Farmers to March 180-km|url=https://www.news18.com/news/india/meet-jnu-alumnus-vijoo-krishnan-man-who-inspired-50000-farmers-to-march-180-km-1687019.html|date=13 March 2018|website=News18|access-date=8 May 2020}}</ref> In September 2013, after the harassment of two women students of Pondicherry University, the SFI initiated a movement for GSCASH in the university and the activists approached [[Madras High Court]] for redressal.<ref name="indiankanoon">{{Cite web|title=M.Kavya vs The Chairman|url=https://indiankanoon.org/doc/143339158/|website=indiankanoon.org|access-date=8 May 2020}}</ref> The movement later ended successfully with the High Court ordering university to constitute institutional mechanisms for grievances.<ref name="indiankanoon"/> In Assam, the Directorate of Higher Education (DHE) in 2018 ordered all colleges to set up GSCASH after the SFI's intervention.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Colleges told to form committee against sexual harassment|url=http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=oct1018/city051|website=The Assam Tribune Online|access-date=8 May 2020}}</ref> | The idea of GSCASH (Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment) was first experimented in Jawaharlal Nehru University by SFI's students union headed by [[Vijoo Krishnan]] in 1998–99.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Kanhaiya's predecessors: Where they are, what they do|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/kanhaiyas-predecessors-where-they-are-what-they-do/|date=22 February 2016|website=The Indian Express|access-date=8 May 2020|archive-date=10 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610105313/https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/kanhaiyas-predecessors-where-they-are-what-they-do/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Meet JNU Alumnus Vijoo Krishnan, Man Who Inspired 50,000 Farmers to March 180-km|url=https://www.news18.com/news/india/meet-jnu-alumnus-vijoo-krishnan-man-who-inspired-50000-farmers-to-march-180-km-1687019.html|date=13 March 2018|website=News18|access-date=8 May 2020|archive-date=27 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727013528/https://www.news18.com/news/india/meet-jnu-alumnus-vijoo-krishnan-man-who-inspired-50000-farmers-to-march-180-km-1687019.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In September 2013, after the harassment of two women students of Pondicherry University, the SFI initiated a movement for GSCASH in the university and the activists approached [[Madras High Court]] for redressal.<ref name="indiankanoon">{{Cite web|title=M.Kavya vs The Chairman|url=https://indiankanoon.org/doc/143339158/|website=indiankanoon.org|access-date=8 May 2020|archive-date=27 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727041208/https://indiankanoon.org/doc/143339158/|url-status=live}}</ref> The movement later ended successfully with the High Court ordering university to constitute institutional mechanisms for grievances.<ref name="indiankanoon"/> In Assam, the Directorate of Higher Education (DHE) in 2018 ordered all colleges to set up GSCASH after the SFI's intervention.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Colleges told to form committee against sexual harassment|url=http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=oct1018/city051|website=The Assam Tribune Online|access-date=8 May 2020|archive-date=27 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727041556/http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=oct1018%2Fcity051|url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
=== | === LGBTQIA+ issues === | ||
SFI has actively supported | SFI has actively supported LGBTQIA+ rights. SFI was the first student organization in India to nominate an openly gay person for a Student Union election as they nominated Gourab Ghosh for [[Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union|Jawaharlal Nehru University Student Union]] elections held in 2013 as its candidate for the General Secretary position.<ref>{{Cite web|author=Shreya Roy Chowdhury|date=Sep 11, 2013|title=Gay scholar debuts in JNUSU polls |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Gay-scholar-debuts-in-JNUSU-polls/articleshow/22473301.cms|access-date=2021-06-01|website=The Times of India|language=en|archive-date=3 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603012737/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Gay-scholar-debuts-in-JNUSU-polls/articleshow/22473301.cms|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=How Gourab Ghosh, the first-ever homosexual candidate to contest JNU elections, made the varsity more inclusive|url=https://www.edexlive.com/people/2020/jun/25/how-gourab-ghosh-the-first-ever-homosexual-candidate-to-contest-jnu-elections-made-the-varsity-more--12879.html|access-date=2021-06-01|website=The New Indian Express|language=en|archive-date=2 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602215742/https://www.edexlive.com/people/2020/jun/25/how-gourab-ghosh-the-first-ever-homosexual-candidate-to-contest-jnu-elections-made-the-varsity-more--12879.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2013-09-11|title=JNU student election fray sees first ever gay candidate |url=https://www.firstpost.com/india/jnu-student-election-fray-sees-first-ever-gay-candidate-1100855.html|access-date=2021-06-01|website=Firstpost|archive-date=2 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602215743/https://www.firstpost.com/india/jnu-student-election-fray-sees-first-ever-gay-candidate-1100855.html|url-status=live}}</ref> SFI has campaigned for LGBTQIA+ rights in college campuses, and has held conventions.<ref>{{Cite web|title=লিঙ্গবৈষম্যের বিরুদ্ধে এসএফআই|url=https://www.anandabazar.com/west-bengal/sfi-convention-on-lgbt-rights-1.876638|access-date=2021-06-01|website=www.anandabazar.com|language=bn|archive-date=2 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602215642/https://www.anandabazar.com/west-bengal/sfi-convention-on-lgbt-rights-1.876638|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-10-16|title=SFI plans push for LGBTQIA+ rights across campuses|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/kolkata/sfi-plans-push-for-lgbtq-rights-across-college-campuses-5403666/|access-date=2021-06-01|website=The Indian Express|language=en|archive-date=2 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602215323/https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/kolkata/sfi-plans-push-for-lgbtq-rights-across-college-campuses-5403666/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2016, SFI decided to include the ‘others’ gender option in its membership forms.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-02-12|title=In solidarity with LGBT community, CPI-M's youth arm demands education, job reservation for transgenders across India|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/kolkata/in-solidarity-with-lgbt-community-cpi-m-s-youth-arm-demands-education-job-reservation-for-transgenders-across-india/story-oQsa0bpVdKNaLGHtzU9caI.html|access-date=2021-06-01|website=Hindustan Times|language=en|archive-date=2 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602215452/https://www.hindustantimes.com/kolkata/in-solidarity-with-lgbt-community-cpi-m-s-youth-arm-demands-education-job-reservation-for-transgenders-across-india/story-oQsa0bpVdKNaLGHtzU9caI.html|url-status=live}}</ref> SFI has supported the scrapping of [[section 377]] and opposes the [[Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019|Transgender Persons Act, 2019]] commenting that the Act "infringes on the rights and dignity of transpersons". Prominent LGBTQIA+ persons in SFI include Apratim Roy (first trans SFI West Bengal State committee member),<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-11-22|title=পঞ্চাশের লক্ষ্য, রূপান্তরকামী নেতার নেতৃত্বে এলজিবিটি অধিকাররক্ষায় নামছে SFI|url=https://zeenews.india.com/bengali/kolkata/sfi-to-start-campaign-for-lgbt-right_287814.html|access-date=2021-06-01|website=Zee24Ghanta.com|language=bn|archive-date=2 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602215642/https://zeenews.india.com/bengali/kolkata/sfi-to-start-campaign-for-lgbt-right_287814.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Nandhana (first Transgender member of Thrissur District committee, Kerala), Adam Harry (first trans man to become a pilot in India), Muhammed Zuhrabi (queer activist, ex-General Secretary, [[Pondicherry University]] Students' Council). | ||
== | === Violence === | ||
In 2019, an informal probe | There have been cases of SFI cadres booked for anti-social activities in Thiruvananthapuram city.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rape threat, casteist attack: 10 SFI members booked on complaint of AISF woman leader |url=https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2021/10/22/sfi-aisf-clash-mg-university-senate-election-police-complaint.html |access-date=2023-03-11 |website=OnManorama}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Three ABVP students drown as SFI supporters forces them to jump into river |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/states/story/19961015-three-abvp-students-drown-as-sfi-supporters-forces-them-to-jump-into-river-833946-1996-10-14 |access-date=2023-03-11 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=SFI vs SFI: Criminal clique finds political patronage for a reason |url=https://www.onmanorama.com/news/straight-talk/2019/07/19/sfi-campus-violence-political-patronage.html |access-date=2023-03-11 |website=OnManorama}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |author=Staff Reporter |date=2021-10-22 |title=Non-bailable charges against SFI leaders |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/non-bailable-charges-against-sfi-leaders/article37128290.ece |access-date=2023-03-11 |issn=0971-751X}}</ref> In 2017, T Vijayalakshmi, the Director-in-Charge of Students Services of Kerala University, went on indefinite leave, citing death threats received from SFI affiliated students.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nechiyil |first=Sahla |title=Kerala University faculty alleges torture and death threats at the hands of SFI |url=https://www.newslaundry.com/2017/04/05/kerala-university-faculty-alleges-torture-and-death-threats-at-the-hands-of-sfi |access-date=2022-10-07 |website=Newslaundry}}</ref> In 2019, retired judge PK Shamsudin conducted an informal personal probe in college campus politics; Shamsudin claimed anti-democratic activities of SFI in University College, Thiruvananthapuram and claimed presence of "torture rooms" run by SFI.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-08-04 |title=Kerala: A campus with a 'torture room' |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/kerala-a-campus-with-a-torture-room-thiruvananthapurams-university-college-5876072/ |access-date=2022-10-07 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Swamy |first=Rohini |date=2019-09-05 |title=Kerala colleges have 'torture rooms' for students who don't fall in line with unions |url=https://theprint.in/india/kerala-colleges-have-torture-rooms-for-students-who-dont-fall-in-line-with-unions/286641/ |access-date=2022-10-07 |website=ThePrint |language=en-US}}</ref> That same year, SFI College Unit members were arrested for stabbing a student at University College.<ref>{{Cite web |title=SFI activists paraded Akhil on campus soon after stabbing him {{!}} Video |url=https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2019/07/28/sfi-activists-paraded-akhil-on-campus-soon-after-stabbing-him-video.html |access-date=2022-10-07 |website=OnManorama}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=SFI leader Nasim grabbed me, Shivaranjith stabbed: University College student Akhil |url=https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2019/07/13/university-college-student-akhil-stabbed-nasim-shivaranjith.html |access-date=2022-10-07 |website=OnManorama}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2019-07-17 |title=SFI leaders wanted to make an example of me: Akhil |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/sfi-leaders-wanted-to-make-an-example-of-me-akhil/article28520067.ece |access-date=2022-10-07 |issn=0971-751X}}</ref> In 2022, videos of the office of an MP from Wayanad Rahul Gandhi being vandalised by SFI members were circulated on social media. The incident was condemned by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-24 |title=Kerala: Rahul Gandhi's office vandalised by SFI activists, CM condemns violence |url=https://www.livemint.com/news/india/kerala-rahul-gandhi-s-office-vandalised-by-sfi-activists-in-wayanad-watch-here-11656073523192.html |access-date=2022-10-07 |website=mint |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Wayanad|first1=Shibimol KG |date=June 24, 2022 |title=Rahul Gandhi's Wayanad office vandalised, 8 SFI workers detained |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/rahul-gandhi-wayanad-office-vandalised-sfi-activists-protests-sc-verdict-esz-1966411-2022-06-24 |access-date=2022-10-07 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref> In 2022, SFI activists were booked for assault on woman at Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Attack on KSU woman leader: Lenient criminal charges against SFI activists |url=https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/03/19/ksu-woman-attack-police-slap-mild-charges-sfi-activists.html |access-date=2023-03-11 |website=OnManorama}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=KSU woman leader among 4 injured in clash with SFI at Kerala college |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/cities/thiruvananthapuram/story/thiruvananthapuram-ksu-woman-leader-among-4-injured-clash-sfi-law-college-1926076-2022-03-16 |access-date=2023-03-11 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref> In 2023, SFI activists barged into the [[Asianet News]] media office in Ernakulam. The activists pushed aside the security guard and displayed banners against the news outlet.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-03-04 |title=Protests gain momentum against SFI activists barging into Asianet News channel office in Kochi |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/protests-gain-momentum-against-sfi-activists-barging-into-asianet-news-channel-office-kochi/article66579426.ece |access-date=2023-03-11 |issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-07 |title=8 SFI workers surrender after barging into Asianet News office in Kochi: Report |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/8-sfi-workers-surrender-after-barging-into-asianet-news-office-in-kochi-report-101678143240258.html |access-date=2023-03-11 |website=Hindustan Times |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-06 |title=Asianet News office incident: 8 SFI workers surrender |url=https://theprint.in/india/asianet-news-office-incident-8-sfi-workers-surrender/1423700/ |access-date=2023-03-11 |website=ThePrint |language=en-US}}</ref> | ||
==See also== | == See also == | ||
*[[ | *[[Tribal Students Union]] | ||
* [[ | *[[Democratic Youth Federation of India]] | ||
*[[ | *[[Tribal Youth Federation]] | ||
*[[All India Democratic Women's Association]] | |||
*[[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]] | |||
*[[All India Kisan Sabha (36 Canning Lane)]] | |||
*[[Centre of Indian Trade Unions]] | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
Latest revision as of 13:31, 14 March 2026
| Students' Federation of India | |
|---|---|
 | |
| President | Adarsh M Saji |
| Secretary General | Srijan Bhattacharyya |
| Founded | 30 December 1970 |
| Headquarters | New Delhi, India |
| Membership |  4,300,405[1] |
| Ideology | Scientific socialism Anti-imperialism Anti-colonialism |
| Mother party | Communist Party of India (Marxist)[2][3] |
| Website | http://sficec.in/ |
| Part of a series on |
| Communism in India |
|---|
 |
Template:Socialism sidebar The Students' Federation of India (SFI) is a socialist student organisation in India.
History of the organisation[edit | edit source]
The origin of Indian students movement in its organised form can be traced to the formation of All India Students' Federation (AISF) on 12 August 1936 to further anti-imperialist politics.[4] Since the 1940s–1950s, several ideological debates fathomed within the AISF, regarding the analysis of the Indian society, the nature of the Indian state and its attitude towards students. A strong body of opinion emerged as to oppose the existing predominant view within the AISF, to cooperate and compromise with the nation's ruling classes towards a so-called progressive end. They called for militancy in student movements, aimed towards a progressive reorientation of the existing education system. As political differences between dissenting factions within the AISF developed, added with their negligence on student issues, it split into several local organizations which started working independently. In 1970, delegates from such organizations held a conference in Thiruvananthapuram to form a new national students' organisation. The All India Conference was held from 27 to 30 December, and resulted in formation of Students' Federation of India.[5][6]
| No. | Year | Place of conference | President | General secretary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1970 | Thiruvananthapuram | C. Bhaskaran | Biman Bose |
| 2 | 1973[14] | Delhi (CEC Meeting) | Prakash Karat | |
| 3 | 1974 | Kolkata | ||
| 4 | 1976 | Kolkata (CEC Meeting) | Subhas Chakraborty | |
| 5 | 1978 | Patna | M. A. Baby | Nepaldev Bhattacharjee |
| 6 | 1981 | Mumbai | ||
| 7 | 1984[15] | Dum Dum | Sitaram Yechury | |
| 8 | 1986 | Vijayawada | A. Vijayaraghavan | Nilotpal Basu |
| 9 | 1989 | Kolkata | ||
| 10 | 1993 | Thiruvananthapuram | Y. B. Rao | Sujan Chakraborty |
| 11 | 1997 | Midnapore | K. N. Balagopal | Bratin Sengupta |
| 12 | 2000 | Chennai | P. Krishna Prasad | Samik Lahiri |
| 13 | 2003[16] | Kozhikode | K. K. Ragesh | Kallol Roy |
| 14 | 2005[17] | Hyderabad | R. Arun Kumar | K. K. Ragesh |
| 15 | 2008 | Bidhannagar | P. K. Biju | Ritabrata Banerjee |
| 16 | 2012[18] | Madurai | V. Sivadasan | |
| 17 | 2016 | Sikar | V. P. Sanu | Vikram Singh |
| 18 | 2018[19] | Shimla | Mayukh Biswas | |
| 19 | 2022 | Hyderabad | ||
| 20 | 2025[20] | Kozhikode | Adarsh M Saji | Srijan Bhattacharya |
Presence and structure[edit | edit source]
The Students' Federation of India in 2024–25 has 24 functioning state committees. It started its first international unit in the United Kingdom in 2022.[21] They are a major student force in Kerala and West Bengal. Currently, they also hold student unions in various universities across India, including Hyderabad Central University[22] and Pondicherry University.[23]
SFI Central Executive Committee[edit | edit source]
SFI's 18th All India Conference was held from 27 June to 30 June 2025 at Kozhikode, Kerala. The Conference was Organized at Palestine Solidarity Nagar and Sitaram Yechury - Nepaldeb Bhattacharya Manch.[20]
Activities[edit | edit source]
Protest and demands[edit | edit source]
SFI has protested against the National Education Policy, 2019,[24] hike in fees,[25][26][27] and under-representation of reserved students in IITs.[28]
SFI members took part and organised multiple Citizenship Amendment Act protests in 2019.[29][30][31] The SFI marched to the Parliament in one such protest.[32] Further, the SFI even approached the Supreme Court against the act.[33][34][35]
During the COVID-19 lockdown in India,[36] SFI distributed sanitary napkins to female students in West Bengal[37] and demanded their inclusion in essential commodities in Himachal Pradesh. SFI set up COVID-19 helpline numbers in various states to help stranded students.[38] To combat misinformation and reach out to the migrant labourers in various places, SFI launched a campaign named "My dear friend" where verified information from government sources are translated into various Indian languages and circulated through social media.[38] Online art festivals, lecture series and online classes were also organised by various SFI committee's.[39][40][41] SFI also produced face masks and hand sanitisers.[41]
SFI had won court cases for regulating private coaching centres in India.[42] They also had movements against the delay in fellowships and scholarships for university students.[43]
SFI and DYFI activists jointly posted 1.5 lakh (150,000) letters to the Prime Minister's office after a first information report (FIR) for sedition was lodged against 49 celebrities who condemned lynchings of Muslims, Dalits, and other minorities in India.[44][45][46]
SFI approached Supreme Court seeking directions to provide universal free vaccination to all citizens of India and to waive off the goods and service tax levied on the import of the oxygen concentrators used for personal use during the COVID-19 pandemic.[47][48]
Red Volunteers and other social works[edit | edit source]
SFI along with DYFI, the youth wing of Communist Party of India (Marxist), runs Red Volunteers, Sramajibi Canteen and involves in various social works.[49][50]
Women in SFI[edit | edit source]
From 27 to 29 January 2017, the 5th All India Girls Convention was held at Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh and it elected a 23-member team of girls’ sub-committee.[51]
Bleed Without Fear, Bleed Without Tax[edit | edit source]
Protesting against the imposition of 12% tax on sanitary napkins, the women sub-committee of SFI protested nationwide in July 2017.[52] The campaign was named "Bleed Without Fear, Bleed Without Tax". Petitions were submitted to the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for revoking the government decision.[53][54] Thousands of girl students mailed sanitary napkins with protest slogans to Arun Jaitley's office.[53][55][56] This campaign was similar to that of the Pink Chaddi Campaign in 2009.[55] The campaign also demanded the installation of adequate sanitary napkin vending machines in schools and colleges and providing six packets of sanitary napkins for one rupee to the women below poverty line.[55]
All-women panels[edit | edit source]
Female candidates of the SFI won all seats in a mixed college by fielding an all-women panel for students union elections[57] in Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady in 2017.[57][58][59] An SFI member became the first Dalit woman to be elected as the chairperson in Maharaja's College, Ernakulam in 2017.[60][61]
In 2018, all-women SFI panels won in CMS College Kottayam[58] and contested in Government Victoria College, Palakkad.[62]
In 2019, SFI members were elected as the first female chairpersons in Sacred Heart College, Thevara, Kochi,[63] and the College of Engineering, Trivandrum (CET).[64][65] Earlier, the SFI had organised protests of the female hostelites of CET in February 2019 for extending the curfew timings for girls' hostels. This movement forced the government to accept the demands and Dr Usha Titus, the Higher Education Secretary of the Kerala Government issued orders to enforce them.[65]
GSCASH[edit | edit source]
The idea of GSCASH (Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment) was first experimented in Jawaharlal Nehru University by SFI's students union headed by Vijoo Krishnan in 1998–99.[66][67] In September 2013, after the harassment of two women students of Pondicherry University, the SFI initiated a movement for GSCASH in the university and the activists approached Madras High Court for redressal.[68] The movement later ended successfully with the High Court ordering university to constitute institutional mechanisms for grievances.[68] In Assam, the Directorate of Higher Education (DHE) in 2018 ordered all colleges to set up GSCASH after the SFI's intervention.[69]
LGBTQIA+ issues[edit | edit source]
SFI has actively supported LGBTQIA+ rights. SFI was the first student organization in India to nominate an openly gay person for a Student Union election as they nominated Gourab Ghosh for Jawaharlal Nehru University Student Union elections held in 2013 as its candidate for the General Secretary position.[70][71][72] SFI has campaigned for LGBTQIA+ rights in college campuses, and has held conventions.[73][74] In 2016, SFI decided to include the ‘others’ gender option in its membership forms.[75] SFI has supported the scrapping of section 377 and opposes the Transgender Persons Act, 2019 commenting that the Act "infringes on the rights and dignity of transpersons". Prominent LGBTQIA+ persons in SFI include Apratim Roy (first trans SFI West Bengal State committee member),[76] Nandhana (first Transgender member of Thrissur District committee, Kerala), Adam Harry (first trans man to become a pilot in India), Muhammed Zuhrabi (queer activist, ex-General Secretary, Pondicherry University Students' Council).
Violence[edit | edit source]
There have been cases of SFI cadres booked for anti-social activities in Thiruvananthapuram city.[77][78][79][80] In 2017, T Vijayalakshmi, the Director-in-Charge of Students Services of Kerala University, went on indefinite leave, citing death threats received from SFI affiliated students.[81] In 2019, retired judge PK Shamsudin conducted an informal personal probe in college campus politics; Shamsudin claimed anti-democratic activities of SFI in University College, Thiruvananthapuram and claimed presence of "torture rooms" run by SFI.[82][83] That same year, SFI College Unit members were arrested for stabbing a student at University College.[84][85][86] In 2022, videos of the office of an MP from Wayanad Rahul Gandhi being vandalised by SFI members were circulated on social media. The incident was condemned by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.[87][88] In 2022, SFI activists were booked for assault on woman at Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram.[89][90] In 2023, SFI activists barged into the Asianet News media office in Ernakulam. The activists pushed aside the security guard and displayed banners against the news outlet.[91][92][93]
See also[edit | edit source]
- Tribal Students Union
- Democratic Youth Federation of India
- Tribal Youth Federation
- All India Democratic Women's Association
- Communist Party of India (Marxist)
- All India Kisan Sabha (36 Canning Lane)
- Centre of Indian Trade Unions
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "Membership". Students' Federation of India.
- ↑ Martelli, Jean-Thomas (2019). "The Spillovers of Competition: Value-based Activism and Political Cross-fertilization in an Indian Campus". Student Politics in South Asia. 22. doi:10.4000/samaj.6501.
- ↑ "Left-affiliated AISA, SFI to contest DUSU polls in alliance". The Statesman. 16 September 2024. Retrieved 18 November 2025.
- ↑ "SFI: A Movement of Study, Struggle and Sacrifice For a Scientific, Secular Education". peoplesdemocracy.in. Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
- ↑ "History_of_SFI" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 December 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
- ↑ "Programme of Students' Federation of India". 11 January 2015. Archived from the original on 5 May 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ↑ Mukul, Akshaya (3 April 2006). "CPM witnesses 'generational change'". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 1 July 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ↑ Romita Datta (1 November 2019). "Calling the Youth". India Today. Archived from the original on 30 June 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ↑ "Beyond campuses and old bastions, SFI looks to new frontiers". Hindustan Times. 30 January 2017. Archived from the original on 30 July 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ↑ "Parent in pain, SFI 'strikes' - Kerala unit debates whether to shun campus shutdowns". The Telegraph. Kolkota. Archived from the original on 30 June 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ↑ "From an activist to CPI-M general secretary: Sitaram Yechury's journey". Hindustan Times. 19 April 2015. Archived from the original on 30 June 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ↑ "Campus agitations in Bengal a sign of rising movement, feel stakeholders". Hindustan Times. 9 January 2020. Archived from the original on 30 June 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ↑ "SFI Golden Jubilee Celebrations Begin". peoplesdemocracy.in. Archived from the original on 30 June 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ↑ "Prakash Karat: A leader from his student days - Indian Express". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ↑ "Know Sitaram Yechury, the Man who Heads Indian Communism". The Quint. 19 April 2015. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ↑ "SFI protests against govt's education policy". The Times of India. 11 July 2003. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ↑ "SIT to interrogate former SFI President K K Ragesh". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 2 July 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ↑ "SFI National President V Sivadasan: Latest News & Videos, Photos about SFI National President V Sivadasan". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ↑ Narayanan, Nitheesh (10 December 2018). "16th All India Conference of Students Federation of India Concludes". Student Struggle. Archived from the original on 30 June 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Service, Express News (30 June 2025). "Adarsh M Saji elected SFI All India president, Srijan Bhattacharya general secretary". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
- ↑ Mathew, Nikhil (19 November 2022). "On SFI's First International Unit". Student Struggle. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
- ↑ S, Karthikeya (28 October 2024). "HCU Student Union elections 2024: "Left panel represents all students," says President-elect Umesh Ambedkar". EdexLive. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
- ↑ Desk, EdexLive (3 December 2024). "Pondicherry University announces student council elections after 5-year hiatus". EdexLive. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ↑ "Six reasons why SFI thinks the New Education Policy will destroy Indian Education as we know it". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 2 July 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ↑ "Pondicherry University students go on indefinite hunger strike demanding rollback of fee hike". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ↑ "SFI activists protest in support of JNU students". The Hindu. 20 November 2019. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 1 July 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ↑ "'Attack on education': Now, AIIMS, IIT students join JNU fee hike protest". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ↑ "Fewer number of SC/ST scholars in IITs: SFI calls for study". The Times of India. 15 December 2019. Archived from the original on 22 February 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
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- ↑ "Anti-CAA protests gather steam". The Times of India. 20 December 2019. Archived from the original on 25 August 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ↑ "SFI march against CAA tomorrow". The Hindu. 14 December 2019. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 24 August 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ↑ "Students Federation of India moves SC over Citizenship Act". Deccan Herald. 18 January 2020. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
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- ↑ "Bengal: Stores running out of stock, online services hit, SFI cushions sanitary pad scarcity". The Indian Express. 6 April 2020. Archived from the original on 10 April 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
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- ↑ "Coronavirus: Online art festival, another lockdown innovation in Kerala". Deccan Herald. 10 April 2020. Archived from the original on 10 April 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ↑ "Games, contests galore in Kerala to cheer people up during COVID-19 lockdown". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 17 May 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
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- ↑ "Regulation Of Private Coaching Centres: SC Asks Petitioner To Approach Authorities [Read Order]". livelaw.in. 4 February 2017. Archived from the original on 30 June 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ↑ "SFI holds 'Chalo assembly' rally, picked by cops". The Times of India. 7 August 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
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- ↑ Ojha, Srishti (8 May 2021). "Students Federation Of India(SFI) Moves Supreme Court Seeking Free COVID Vaccination, GST Waiver On Oxygen Concentrators". www.livelaw.in. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
- ↑ "കൊവിഡ് പ്രതിരോധ വാക്സിന് എല്ലാ പൗരന്മാര്ക്കും സൗജന്യമായി നല്കണം; സുപ്രീം കോടതിയെ സമീപിച്ച് എസ്.എഫ്.ഐ". DoolNews (in മലയാളം). Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
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- ↑ "CPM's student, youth wings back in Bengal streets to run community kitchens for lockdown-hit people - The New Indian Express". www.newindianexpress.com. Archived from the original on 27 July 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
- ↑ "All India Girls' Convention of SFI Held in Vijayawada". peoplesdemocracy.in. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ↑ Staff Reporter (14 July 2017). "Protest against GST on sanitary napkins". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 1 July 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
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- ↑ Dhar, Dipsita. "SFI activists send sanitary napkins to Arun Jaitley in response to GST on pads". Newslaundry. Archived from the original on 30 June 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ↑ 55.0 55.1 55.2 "SFI has 'bloody' good idea: Asks students to send pads to Finance ministry to protest GST on sanitary napkins". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ↑ "GST: SFI activists post sanitary pads to Arun Jaitely". The Economic Times. 12 July 2017. Archived from the original on 30 August 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
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- ↑ 58.0 58.1 "These Kerala colleges' all-woman unions strive to break gender stereotypes". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ↑ "വനിതാദിനത്തില് വിപ്ലവം രചിച്ച് സംസ്കൃത സര്വകലാശാലയിലെ പെണ്കരുത്ത്; ഭാരവാഹികള് ചുമതലയേറ്റു". Asianet News Network Pvt Ltd (in മലയാളം). Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ↑ Jayaram, Deepika (24 August 2017). "First woman chairperson: Women's issues will be my priority: says Mridhula Gopi, the first girl to become chairperson of Maharaja's College in 70 years". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ↑ "Women power boosts SFI win Students' Federation of India". Deccan Chronicle. 23 August 2017. Archived from the original on 16 May 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ↑ "SFI makes history, contests women in full panel for union elections at Victoria college". Mathrubhumi. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
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- ↑ "Student votes will not go in vain: CET's first woman chairperson Anjuradh TR". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ↑ 65.0 65.1 "How curfew-killer Anjuradh TR became the first woman to lead the Union at College of Engineering, Trivandrum". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ↑ "Kanhaiya's predecessors: Where they are, what they do". The Indian Express. 22 February 2016. Archived from the original on 10 June 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ↑ "Meet JNU Alumnus Vijoo Krishnan, Man Who Inspired 50,000 Farmers to March 180-km". News18. 13 March 2018. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
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- ↑ "Colleges told to form committee against sexual harassment". The Assam Tribune Online. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ↑ Shreya Roy Chowdhury (11 September 2013). "Gay scholar debuts in JNUSU polls". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- ↑ "How Gourab Ghosh, the first-ever homosexual candidate to contest JNU elections, made the varsity more inclusive". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- ↑ "JNU student election fray sees first ever gay candidate". Firstpost. 11 September 2013. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- ↑ "লিঙ্গবৈষম্যের বিরুদ্ধে এসএফআই". www.anandabazar.com (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- ↑ "SFI plans push for LGBTQIA+ rights across campuses". The Indian Express. 16 October 2018. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
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- ↑ "পঞ্চাশের লক্ষ্য, রূপান্তরকামী নেতার নেতৃত্বে এলজিবিটি অধিকাররক্ষায় নামছে SFI". Zee24Ghanta.com (in Bengali). 22 November 2019. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- ↑ "Rape threat, casteist attack: 10 SFI members booked on complaint of AISF woman leader". OnManorama. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
- ↑ "Three ABVP students drown as SFI supporters forces them to jump into river". India Today. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
- ↑ "SFI vs SFI: Criminal clique finds political patronage for a reason". OnManorama. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
- ↑ Staff Reporter (22 October 2021). "Non-bailable charges against SFI leaders". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
- ↑ Nechiyil, Sahla. "Kerala University faculty alleges torture and death threats at the hands of SFI". Newslaundry. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ↑ "Kerala: A campus with a 'torture room'". The Indian Express. 4 August 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ↑ Swamy, Rohini (5 September 2019). "Kerala colleges have 'torture rooms' for students who don't fall in line with unions". ThePrint. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ↑ "SFI activists paraded Akhil on campus soon after stabbing him | Video". OnManorama. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ↑ "SFI leader Nasim grabbed me, Shivaranjith stabbed: University College student Akhil". OnManorama. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ↑ "SFI leaders wanted to make an example of me: Akhil". The Hindu. 17 July 2019. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ↑ "Kerala: Rahul Gandhi's office vandalised by SFI activists, CM condemns violence". mint. 24 June 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ↑ Wayanad, Shibimol KG (24 June 2022). "Rahul Gandhi's Wayanad office vandalised, 8 SFI workers detained". India Today. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ↑ "Attack on KSU woman leader: Lenient criminal charges against SFI activists". OnManorama. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
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- ↑ "Protests gain momentum against SFI activists barging into Asianet News channel office in Kochi". The Hindu. 4 March 2023. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
- ↑ "8 SFI workers surrender after barging into Asianet News office in Kochi: Report". Hindustan Times. 7 March 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
- ↑ "Asianet News office incident: 8 SFI workers surrender". ThePrint. 6 March 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
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