# Chennai college students joined freedom struggle through boycotts and protests 2026-08-15T02:47:50+00:00 | Politics | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Students from Chennai colleges played an active role in the freedom struggle from the 1920s, organising boycotts, processions, meetings and picketing, according to archival accounts cited by The New Indian Express. Around 2,500 students had left educational institutions by March 1921, against a student population of 1,69,200 when the Non-Cooperation Movement began. Pachaiyappa’s College students joined Swadeshi and Quit India protests, while students at Presidency College debated and defied strike warnings. Madras Christian College hosted nationalist activity and sheltered students expelled elsewhere during the 1942 movement. Women students also participated, with Queen Mary’s College recording the contribution of alumnae including Captain Lakshmi Sahgal. ## Coverage - newindianexpress.com Tags: Chennai, Madras Christian College, Mahatma Gandhi, Pachaiyappa’s College Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/chennai-college-students-joined-freedom-struggle-through-boycotts-and-protests/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/chennai-college-students-joined-freedom-struggle-through-boycotts-and-protests/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.