New Delhi: The students of Lady Shri Ram college on Thursday (April 16) demanded the immediate removal of a video of principal, Kanika Ahuja, speaking on the BJP page in which she can be heard supporting the contentious women’s reservation Bill. Further, the students have asked for a public clarification regarding the video being “her individual stance and not the institution’s stand”. They underlined that it is wrong for the principal to openly endorse a political party.“After asking the students not to contact the media, the principal gave a statement to The Indian Express that was carried this morning (16th April 2026). In it, she stated that she had spoken in the video in a personal capacity and that she was simply showing support for a Bill that would empower women. However, she appeared as ‘The Principal of LSR’ in the video that was posted by the BJP4India page. Even putting that aside, the principal of a college openly endorsing a political party by appearing on their social media page— even if claimed it is in her personal capacity— is problematic. As the head of a prestigious institution like LSR, her words on a public forum have an immediate impact on the college itself,” the students said in a statement.They questioned: “The principal in the Indian Express article stated she was engaging in an intellectual discussion on the Bill, regarding critical social discourse. However, the address was not at an academic event but on a political party’s social media page. Furthermore, at the time of the video being posted, even the draft of the Bill was not publicly available. How is critical discourse possible without anything to analyse and discuss?”The video in the centre of this controversy was shared on April 13 on the BJP’s ‘BJP4India’ Instagram handle as part of a series supporting the Bill, or ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam’, featuring Ahuja describing the legislation as “long overdue” and “a constitutional course correction”.Also read: Modi Govt’s U-Turn: From Obsessing Over ‘Population Explosion’ to Rewarding High-Population StatesBesides removal of the video of principal Ahuja speaking on the BJP page and issuing a public clarification regarding this being her individual stance and not the institution’s stand, mentioning her name and designation, the students urged that content for the clarification “should be made transparent with the students before uploading”.The students have also mentioned that the communication that took place between the principal/admin and the BJP representative(s) should be made public for transparency and “any monetary transactions that might have taken place in adjacence.”The other demands of the students include inviting speakers with student consent and all political engagements should be strictly non-partisan. “Stop communalisation. Stop inviting speakers without proper background checks, and ensure that these are done with student consent. Making sure no sexism, misogyny, racism, casteism or hate towards any marginalised community is endorsed.”“Ensure that all political engagements on campus remain strictly non-partisan by inviting speakers from diverse ideological and politically-inclined backgrounds, so that the college remains an inclusive academic space,” the students wrote listing down the eight demands.The students urged the institute to reaffirm the institution’s commitment to secular and democratic values by issuing a public statement that clearly distances the college from any form of political endorsement or ideological bias.“Delete the photographs and videos taken of the students during the protest by the staff, professors and administration without our consent. Remove the names of any student from any list made by any committee. No direct or indirect persecution of students and alumni in any form by any body. We will not be penalised for expressing dissent,” the students demanded.