Aishe Ghosh


Aishe Ghosh is an Indian research scholar and student leader. She is currently the president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union and a member of the Students' Federation of India.

Early life and education

Born in 1995, Ghosh grew up in the city of Durgapur in the Paschim Bardhaman district of West Bengal. She is the oldest child of Debashish Ghosh and Sharmishta Ghosh. Debashish Ghosh is an employee in Damodar Valley Corporation and Sharmishta Ghosh is a housewife. She has a younger sister, Ishika Ghosh.
After graduating with a degree in political science from Delhi University's Daulat Ram College, Ghosh received a master's degree from Jawaharlal Nehru University. She is currently pursuing a master of philosophy at the School of International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Activism

In September 2019, Ghosh was elected president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union. In that role, Ghosh became involved in protests against fee hikes, library funding cuts, hostel shortages, increased electricity charges and dress and time restrictions on university students. Following the introduction of new rules in October 2019, the university became the most expensive central university in India. She held the view that state universities should not act like for-profit institutions. Ghosh has also taken part in protests against the removal of the university's gender sensitization committee and impunity for Atul Johri, a professor accused of sexual harassment. She has been critical of the Bharatiya Janata Party for perceived neglect in supporting educational institutions and accused the party of attacking the university since it came to power.
On 5 January 2020, Ghosh was admitted to AIIMS Delhi hospital after suffering a head injury during the attack on the campus perpetrated by the Akhil Bharatya Vidyarthi Parishad, a Hindu nationalist organisation affiliated to the Bharatiya Janata Party. The attack on the campus received widespread coverage following which she attained national recognition in middle of the growing protest movement in India. She received widespread support including from actress, Deepika Padukone and the Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan who personally came to meet her. The police charged Aishe Ghosh for vandalism and assault for the incident but no arrests were made. She later alleged that there was a nexus between the attackers, the police and the JNU administration with the intent of breaking up the movement. Following the incident, she took part in the nationwide protest movement against CAA and NRC.
She has also in the authority of the president of the JNUSU, filed a petition at the Delhi High Court against the "arbitrary" fee hikes and fines imposed by the university administration.
In February 2020, Ghosh was denied permission by two state-run universities in Kolkata to address meetings on campus. She was also denied permission by a district administration in West Bengal to hold a rally in West Burdwan. Both Mayukh Biswas and Aishe was stopped in Assam for holding a public meeting against CAA.