The National Students' Union of India (NSUI) staged a protest at Lucknow University in response to the alleged closure of the Lala Baradari mosque, asserting that this location has been a prayer space for Muslim students for many years. Aryan Mishra, the Vice President of NSUI’s UP unit, emphasized that the administration's decision to lock the mosque is unjust, given the longstanding tradition of conducting prayers there. The protest highlights the intersection of faith, education, and student rights within the university environment.

Further intensifying the situation, a member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), an organization affiliated with the RSS, stated that if the mosque remains closed, they plan to perform Hindu prayers using Hanuman Chalisa within the university grounds. This retaliatory statement suggests a growing tension between student groups representing different religious identities, reflecting broader societal divisions. The mosque’s closure may be perceived not just as an administrative move but as a challenge to religious freedoms in educational institutions.

The current dynamics at Lucknow University could have implications beyond the immediate protests, raising questions about the inclusivity of religious practices on campus and the role of student organizations in advocating for or against such practices. The outcome of this incident may set a precedent for how similar disputes are handled in the future, particularly in culturally diverse settings like universities, which serve as microcosms of larger societal issues.