Students who arrived on college buses at the BJP’s “Loktantra Bachao, Arajakta Hatao” march in Bhopal on Wednesday said they knew little about the event, and several claimed their institutions threatened to cut their attendance if they stayed away.
Buses marked LNCT, Sage, IPER and Bansal Institute stood near Platinum Plaza on Atal Path, along with a bus of Govt Sandipani School.
“We received attendance threats to join the rally, and most of us aren’t interested,” A private college student told The Public Brief.
Many of the students who got off could not say what the rally was about or who was addressing it, some described the outing sarcastically as a “picnic” arranged by their college.
The BJP organised the “Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy” march, led by Union Minister JP Nadda and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.
The foot march ran from Atal Path near Platinum Plaza to Roshanpura through New Market, and thousands of workers, traders, professionals and social organisation representatives took part.
Muslim women in burqas also joined the procession marking it as the third such march in the state, after Indore and Jabalpur.
Nadda used the platform to criticise the Opposition for questioning the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
He also called Rahul Gandhi naive during the rally and accused the Congress party of trying to destabilise the country.
“This is the anger of the people against Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party and BJP will organise similar marches across districts,” Mohan Yadav said.
Why the students’ accounts matter
Crowd size affects any party’s publicity, and institutions that depend on government goodwill can feel pressure to oblige.
If students faced an attendance penalty for staying home, that would blur the line between voluntary political participation and compelled presence at a party event.
The concern grows if the government school bus carried minors, who cannot meaningfully consent to join a political event, as The Public Brief and its reporter do not know the ages of the students who took part.
If administrators told students to attend, marked them present, or they feared consequences for refusing, that would be a serious matter.
If the trips were voluntary and unrecorded, the students’ accounts would describe a misunderstanding, not pressure.
Questions that remain open!
Who organised and paid for the buses?
Was attendance officially voluntary, and did any institution record or penalise attendance?
Did the education department or the school administration approve the trips?
