The All Nyishi Students’ Union (ANSU) has called a 12-hour bandh in the Itanagar Capital Region (ICR) over several education-related demands. The proposed shutdown was scheduled from 5 am to 5 pm on September 24. The demands include action on 56 identified schools, issues concerning Toru Engineering College and Pake-Kessang Special Needs School, and the early advertisement of B.Ed. courses at Neelam Taram Government College, Yachuli.

However, the ICR administration has declared the proposed bandh illegal and unlawful. ICR District Magistrate Toko Babu issued the order on September 23 and directed ANSU organisers and others concerned to refrain from participating in the shutdown.

The order was issued under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023. The administration cited concerns over possible disruption to the public, daily-wage earners, patients and businesses. It also warned of possible law-and-order issues during the bandh. Violations of the order could attract penal action. The Superintendents of Police of Itanagar and Naharlagun were directed to take steps to maintain public order and protect life and property.

ANSU’s immediate demand relates to 56 identified schools in Nyishi-inhabited districts. The students’ body had submitted a representation to the Education Department seeking funds and action for the schools. It later issued a seven-day ultimatum, saying it hadn’t received the response it expected.

The union’s wider demands also cover Toru Engineering College, Pake-Kessang Special Needs School and the early advertisement of B.Ed. courses at Neelam Taram Government College, Yachuli.

Education Minister Pasang Dorjee Sona met ANSU representatives on September 22 and urged them to reconsider the bandh call. During the meeting, the Education Department presented an action-taken report on the issues raised by the students’ body.

Sona said several proposals related to education infrastructure had already been submitted to the Planning Department. One account of the meeting said 26 infrastructure requirements had been identified. More than half of these were either ready or at an advanced stage of implementation. The requirements include hostels, undergraduate blocks, staff quarters and boundary walls.

Another report on subsequent government-ANSU discussions said that more than half of the 55 schools specifically flagged by ANSU are now under consideration for infrastructure development after verification, and proposals have been sent to the Planning and Investment Department. The report mentioned 55 schools, while ANSU’s representation referred to 56. The available reports do not explain the difference.

The government said the infrastructure requirements would be examined by the Planning Department and other concerned departments. This would include assessment of funding requirements and convergence with existing schemes.

Sona has appealed to ANSU to reconsider the bandh in view of the steps already initiated by the government. The administration’s order against the shutdown remains in force, while the government has said it will continue discussions with students and other stakeholders on the pending education-related issues.