The Andaman and Nicobar Islands observed a 14-hour state-wide bandh on Monday, February 16, 2026, as a massive coalition of over 100 organizations, students, and political parties united to protest the central government’s plan to establish a “Deemed-to-be University.” Spearheaded by the newly formed Joint Action Forum Against Deemed University, the shutdown—which lasted from 6 am to 8 pm—saw the suspension of public transport, the closure of major markets from Diglipur to Campbell Bay, and the disruption of commercial activities across the archipelago. The primary grievance centers on the proposed Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Institute of Higher Learning, which aims to bring seven existing premier colleges, including JNRM and ANIIMS, under its own local affiliation. Protesting students, primarily from medical, law, and engineering disciplines, fear that severing their long-standing ties with the prestigious Pondicherry University will jeopardize the national recognition of their degrees, lead to a sharp hike in tuition fees, and compromise established academic standards.
The protest reached a fever pitch after a week of peaceful sit-ins outside educational institutions, eventually drawing support from almost every major political entity except the BJP. While the Andaman and Nicobar Administration has issued several reassurances—promising that fees will remain “nominal” and that current students will still receive degrees from Pondicherry University to ensure academic continuity—these “partial concessions” have failed to satisfy the Joint Action Forum. The Forum argues that the transition was planned without adequate stakeholder consultation and maintains that the islands’ long-standing demand has been for a full-fledged Central University, not a fledgling deemed entity. In response to the bandh call, the South Andaman District Magistrate, Purva Garg, imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, declaring the forced closure of shops and the blocking of highways as unconstitutional. Despite these preventive measures and a heavy police presence at key junctions in Sri Vijaya Puram, the bandh remained largely voluntary and peaceful, reflecting a deep-seated regional anxiety over the future of higher education in the territory
