3 min readKolkataNov 15, 2026 01:27 PM ISTThe Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) is holding a three-day Mission Sahasi self-defence instructor camp in Kolkata from November 14 to 16 (Express photo by Partha Paul).Written by Sharanyo BasuThe Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) is holding a three-day women’s self-defence training camp in Kolkata for instructors who will then train students in schools and colleges in the ABVP’s 20 organisational districts in South Bengal next month.‘Mission Sahasi’ is being held in Kolkata’s Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan from November 14 to 16. Outreach programmes to schools and colleges are planned until December 22.The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) student wing, in a press conference earlier this month, said the training has two components: indoor and outdoor programmes.ABVP South Bengal functionary and in-charge of the training camp Paramita Biswas said, “Training would be imparted to women so that they can defend themselves using everyday items like a pen, card, clip, spoon, etc. Women would also be educated on mental health, cybersecurity, and legal awareness to mentally strengthen them.”The inaugural session was held in March 2018 in Mumbai. In 2024, under the tutelage of Shifuji Shaurya Bharadwaj, a self-designated combat expert who runs a programme called ‘Mission Prahar’ to train women in self-defence. A similar camp was held in Kolkata’s Sports Authority of India complex, where women medical students, alongside others, participated. Similar training camps under ‘Mission Sahasi’ have been held in other parts of the country.Sunita Mundekar, a self-defence trainer previously associated with the programme in other states, will train the instructors. Shalini Verma, a senior ABVP functionary, will feature as the chief guest.Story continues below this adABVP South Bengal state secretary Neelkantha Bhattacharya, through the ABVP press release, said that the organisation “believes that in today’s time, empowering women with the ability to protect themselves, along with confidence and courage, is the need of the hour, rather than merely assuring them of security. ‘Mission Sahasi’ is an initiative towards making female students courageous, self-reliant, and confident.”Programme in-charge Paramita Biswas told The Indian Express, “While other organisations merely highlight problems, ABVP provides the solutions. Mission Sahasi will enable women to enhance situational awareness and mental preparedness through self-defence training.”Speaking to The Indian Express, Debanjan Dey, Student Federation of India’s (SFI) state secretary for West Bengal, hit out at the ABVP, questioning whether their programme for women’s self-defence addresses the pressing issues of “child marriage, women trafficking, underage pregnancy, growing numbers of rape and torture, and campus security”.“BJP and RSS are continuously disturbing the campus fabric and trying to criminalise the campuses by ABVP, creating a situation which denounces the scope of girls attending campus life,” Dey said.Story continues below this adAlleging cuts to women’s scholarship funds and an atmosphere that discourages women’s education, Dey said, “If ABVP really wants to stand by the girl students, it must uphold these issues and prioritise them, other than imposing Manuvad.”“Eradicating these social crises is the only way to imbibe courage among the girl students”, he added.Sharanyo Basu is an intern with The Indian Express.