New Delhi. In connection with the protests that took place at India Gate on November 23, Delhi Police has obtained several important videos in which the arrested protesters are seen supporting those who are against the country. One such video has been found of the students of Bhagat Singh Chhatra Ekta Manch (BSCEM), who had gathered in a conference room in Hyderabad in the month of February, where they were raising slogans in support of the people of Radical Student Union and singing songs for them. This is the same organization which gave birth to dreaded Naxalites like Kishanlal and Basavaraju. RSU has been banned by the Government of India in 1992 itself. But it is still poisoning the country.
According to Delhi Police sources, the girl students seen in the video have been identified as Gurkeerat and Ravjot. Both are sisters and while on duty they had raised slogans in support of Madvi Hidma and misbehaved with Delhi Police. Both of them have been arrested by Delhi Police along with their other associates and they are in police custody. Police say that their social media accounts are being constantly checked, which clearly shows that they have been supporting those who are against the country from different platforms for a long time.
When and where did the Radical Students Union originate?
The murder of young student leader George Reddy at Osmania University in Hyderabad in April 1972 shook the politics and student movements of the entire state. The allegation was that Reddy was targeted by a right-wing group. His assassination kept the campus in turmoil for months, and from the ashes of this turmoil the Radical Students Union (RSU) was born on 20 February 1975. The government banned the organization in 1992, but the RSU’s ideology and influence still leave a deep mark on India’s internal security.
Why is the 50 year old effect of RSU still alive?
Because RSU was not just a student organization, it was the ideological factory of the Maoists. India’s two most dangerous top Maoist commanders – Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju (recently killed) and Thippiri Tirupati alias Devuji (second-ranked top commander) – are both the product of this RSU. Even the prominent ideologues and spokespersons of CPI (Maoist) Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias Sonu and Kishanlal also emerged from this organization.
Why is RSU considered the ‘cadre engine’ of the Maoist movement?
RSU created an aggressive political structure in Osmania University and other colleges in the 70–80s. This framework influenced a large number of youth who were drawn towards Maoist ideology by being told stories of social injustice, state violence and class struggle. Many students from RSU went underground and later became commanders, explosion experts, strategists and propagandists in the Naxalite organization. This student organization gradually became the urban recruitment machine of CPI (Maoist).
Today when Maoism is in its ‘endgame stage’, why is RSU in the news again?
Because the government has announced that Naxalism will be completely eliminated by 31 March 2026. At such a time, re-evaluation of the role of RSU is very important. In the current leadership structure of the Maoists, the old cadres of the RSU have the most influence. The fact that the top leaders leading the armed struggle in the jungles emerged from urban student politics shows that RSU was the ‘intellectual nursery of Naxalism’ for a long time.
Are RSUs completely gone?
The formal structure of the organization has broken down, but according to security agencies many of its people are still active in the form of activist networks, urban ‘front organizations’, and ideological platforms. Therefore RSU is not just a part of history, but a hidden chapter in the current story of India’s internal security.
