Lucknow: Protests intensified at Lucknow University after the administration sealed and barricaded the historic Lal Baradari building on campus, where a mosque is located, triggering demonstrations by student groups and heavy police deployment.
Students affiliated with the Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha (SCS), National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) and the All India Students’ Association (AISA) staged a sit-in protest on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday outside the Lal Baradari.
They alleged that the university administration had deliberately sealed the mosque inside the structure to prevent Muslim students from offering prayers during the holy month of Ramzan.
Earlier on Sunday, Muslim students offered namaz outside the locked building. Representatives of the three student organisations, all Hindus, formed a human chain around them, holding hands to ensure the prayers were conducted peacefully.
A video of the gesture went viral on social media, with students describing it as a symbol of ‘Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb‘ and communal harmony.
According to protesting students, Lal Baradari is nearly 200 years old and has been used by Muslim students for prayers for decades. They alleged that the mosque gate was sealed by welding without prior notice and that fencing and repair work began around the structure without consultation.
“LU’s Muslim students have been offering namaz in the centuries-old Lal Baradari since the university’s inception. Without any prior information to the Muslim students who offer prayers during Ramzan, the historic structure was sealed,” said SCS student representative Navneet Kumar, according to a report by TOI.
NSUI national coordinator Vishal Singh said the move had hurt religious sentiments. “How would you feel if you visit a place daily for worship and suddenly find the doors sealed? The doors of the mosque were sealed by welding without any prior information,” he said.
Some students reportedly removed barricades and threw away construction materials placed near the site. Police later intervened and persuaded protesters to remain calm. A heavy police force was deployed on campus as tensions rose.
University officials, however, cited safety concerns. Construction Superintendent Dr Shyamlesh said the building was in a severely dilapidated condition. “The Lal Baradari building is completely damaged and can collapse at any time. The broken doors were closed for safety reasons. Fencing work is being carried out to prevent unsafe activities,” he said.
University spokesperson Prof Mukul Srivastava said parts of the building had already been shut earlier due to structural risks. “The bank and canteen operating in the building were closed earlier. After a wall recently collapsed, the administration displayed instructions prohibiting movement inside the building. However, students continued to enter, and it can cost lives,” he said.
Rajya Sabha member Imran Pratapgarhi expressed support for the protesting students on social media, stating that the sealing was done without informing those who regularly offered prayers and urging the administration to reopen the structure.
Lucknow chronicler the late Yogesh Praveen had earlier said that Lal Baradari was the only red-stone building from the Nawabi era on the campus.
The foundation stone was laid by Nawab Ghaziuddin Haider Shah in 1814, and the structure was completed by his son Naseeruddin Haider Shah in 1820.
Over the years, it housed the teachers’ association office, a bank, a cafeteria and a staff club, all of which were vacated about a decade ago due to the building’s fragile condition.
The protest began after fencing work started at the site on Sunday. As of Monday, the gate remained locked, with students continuing their sit-in outside the historic structure.
