Munish Sood
MANDI
Gadagusain village in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh turned into a centre of youth unrest as students, farmers and youth outfits have launched a mass hunger strike demanding the long-delayed construction of the Gadagusain Degree College.
For nearly a month, residents of Gadagusain have been protesting alongside students, accusing the government of betraying their decade-old promise of a college building. Friday’s demonstration at the Gadagusain bus stand marked the third phase of their agitation and drew massive public support from across the Seraj valley.
The protesters allege that the college, announced in 2014 with Rs 5 crore allocated for its construction, remains in ruins even after 10 years. The funds, they claim, have either been siphoned off or misused.
“More than 100 bags of cement have rotted in the open, iron rods have rusted into the soil and the half-built structure stands dangerously without support,” said one of the student leaders addressing the gathering. “Instead of a college, what we have is a collapsing skeleton of corruption.”
They accused the Himachal Pradesh Public Works Department (PWD) of gross negligence and complicity in the matter. Despite repeated inspections and assurances, no concrete work has been carried out.
Protesters recalled that even PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh had inspected the site months ago, but nothing moved after that. They alleged that the then Executive Engineer Banjara misled the minister by claiming that the department had sufficient savings and that construction would soon resume. “Six months have passed since that inspection and not even a single brick has been laid,” said a protester.
Students turn protest site into classroom
In a powerful act of defiance, the students turned the Gadagusain bus stand into a temporary classroom. Sitting on hunger strike, they continued their studies there — symbolising both their helplessness and their determination.
“With no proper classrooms, many of our students are forced to migrate to Kullu, Mandi, Banjara and Chhatri for education,” said Mahender Singh Rana, state secretary of the Naujawan Sabha. “This is not just about a building, but the right to education that has been denied to an entire generation.”
The hunger strike was organised jointly by the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), Naujawan Sabha and local farmer and orchardist unions. SFI district president Dola Singh, youth activist Lucky, Atma Ram from Seraj panchayat and former SFI state committee member Chhapa Ram addressed the gathering, demanding immediate government intervention.
The protest has also taken a political turn, with speakers accusing both the present and previous governments of ignoring Gadagusain’s educational needs for years. “Successive governments have used education as a political tool,” said a local leader. “We were promised a college, but what we got was a monument of corruption.”
The speakers held both the PWD officials and contractors accountable for misusing public money. They also alleged that the administration has been deliberately delaying action to shield the guilty.
PWD office gherao on November 6
As the protest ended for the day, the leaders announced that the movement would intensify. The next major step would be a mass gherao of the PWD Executive Engineer’s office on November 6, to demand accountability and immediate resumption of construction.
“The government and the administration will be solely responsible if this situation escalates,” said SFI leader Dola Singh.
Among those present at the protest were Devender Kumar, Aman Kumar, Manmohan Singh, former Chachdhar Panchayat Pradhan Megh Singh, and Chandra Prakash Dogra, along with a large number of students and locals.
