Students’ protest at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University has intensified after a video of a police officer threatening students during their indefinite hunger strike went viral on social media. They are coming out against the incident online and the police administration has been ordered to investigate what was said in the video.
Students in the university are protesting since August 25 over a range of issues surrounding campus administration and student welfare. Their demands are to lift or review suspension orders and hostel and student union fees and a review of the student union fees. Student protests developed into an indefinite hunger strike and student demands to the university administration to address the problems.
The situation got tense on September 8 when Assistant Proctor Ved Prakash Rai visited the protesting students. According to the police, some students were getting aggressive and police were called in. Sub-Inspector Aviral Mishra was captured making threatening remarks to the protesting students during the encounter, media reported.
The video went viral on social media and the message was received with great interest. The exact details of the incident are under investigation but the police officer’s comments raised questions regarding the handling of the student protest.
The police have said the conduct seen in the viral video is “under investigation and appropriate legal action will be taken if any wrongdoing is established”.
Student protests at educational institutions often get heated because demands remain unresolved for a long time. In this case, the students have said suspension, hostel conditions, and student-related fees need to be addressed. The hunger strike has only made matters worse because prolonged hunger strikes can lead to health and well-being issues for the students.
The alleged confrontation on September 8 has now shifted the attention from the original student demands to the police presence at the site. The viral video has only fueled debate about what kind of responses the protest was conducted in and where and how the students were treated.
At the same time, the police stance that the students were aggressive before intervention makes clear the competing versions of the incident. A full assessment is likely to depend on the investigation, including the circumstances leading up to the confrontation and the full context of the recorded exchange.
Chaos at Gorakhpur University as students on hunger strike erupt in protest.
— Voice of Hindus (@Voiceofhindus) September 9, 2026
A Sub-Inspector arrives on the spot and threatens students: I’ll call so much force that I’ll cool you down. This is Gorakhpur Police.@myogiadityanath It’s 2026, and students are still being threatened… pic.twitter.com/pcL3h3LqUx
The police inquiry could therefore be relevant to determine if the officer's comments were criminal or were in response to a fast-paced argument. The evidence of the video and other data would also be available to the police for further investigations.
Meanwhile, the students’ original demands remain the focus. Their continued agitation shows growing pressure on the university administration to engage with the protesters and find a resolution. But how that conversation is resolved will depend on if the administration and students speak up and if the police are investigating the viral video.
Now the Gorakhpur University issue has become another topic to discuss. What was a protest over campus concerns has turned into a larger issue of rights for students, administrative accountability, and police behavior during protests. We expect more developments as we go along in the coming days.
