In an extraordinary milestone, a pioneering initiative launched by Sanjeev Newar and Swati Goel Sharma to combat communal gender crimes on college campuses has received formal recognition from the Higher Education Department of Madhya Pradesh, and this has happened within just three months of its launch.
Project Sankalp, which began on 31 July 2025 in Bhopal, was conceived as India’s first structured campaign to educate college students about the growing pattern of sexual exploitation, grooming and forced religious conversions that often start under the mask of ragging or ‘campus bonding’.
The project, structured as a three-year ground intervention to make hundreds of campuses in Bhopal ragging-free, gender-safe and communally secure, was born after several grooming and conversion rackets were busted in Bhopal’s colleges earlier this year.
What Sankalp Does
Project Sankalp, works directly inside colleges and universities by:
- Conducting awareness sessions that help young women recognise manipulation and grooming tactics
- Running legal workshops for both students and faculty to build strong institutional capacity against abuse and predatory behaviour
The initiative is jointly implemented by Sewa Nyaya Utthan Foundation (run by Newar and Swati), along with Network for Access to Justice and Multidisciplinary Outreach Foundation.
At the time of publishing this report, the Sankalp team had reached 39 colleges in Bhopal, engaging thousands of students across engineering, management, law, sciences and other disciplines.
The target is to reach 100 colleges within a year.
Support from state govt
In a major development this week, the Higher Education Department of Madhya Pradesh has now extended full support to the programme.
On 18 November 2025, the department issued an official order directing all government, aided and private colleges and universities in Bhopal district to provide complete cooperation in implementing Project Sankalp.
See part of the official communication below:
Leaders Speak
Sanjeev Newar said the government order will help Sankalp create a deep and lasting impact among the youth of Bhopal. He noted that after analysing the first year’s outcomes, the team could replicate Sankalp in multiple states, turning it into India’s largest and most impactful campus safety movement.
He said,
“A new national model is taking shape, one that protects young women and empowers youth with awareness and legal tools.”
Swati Goel Sharma described the initiative as a civilisational defence movement against predatory exploitation and communal targeting of girls.
- Read about Project Sankalp here.
- Check out visuals from Sankalp workshops in Bhopal colleges here.
