Chandrashekhar Prasad

Chandrashekar Prasad (20 September 1964 – 31 March 1997), popularly known as Chandu was a student leader and later an activist affiliated to the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation. He graduated from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, and served as the president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union for two terms.

On 31 March 1997, he was assassinated by sharpshooters allegedly in the employ of Mohammad Shahabuddin of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, while addressing street corner meetings in the district town of Siwan, Bihar in support of a strike. His assassination led to remarkable student protests across India.

Early life and education Chandrashekhar Prasad was born on 20 September 1964 in Siwan, Bihar in a Kushwaha or Koeri family. His father was a sergeant in the Indian Air Force who died of a heart attack when he was 8 years old. His mother, Kaushalya Devi states that she only got as compensation for her husband's service to the forces but made sure her son was educated well. Chandrashekhar completed his intermediate education at Sainik School in Jhumri Tilaiya. Following his schooling, he was selected for National Defence Academy training in Pune. He joined the program but left it after 2 years, stating dissatisfaction.

Political activism Chandrashekhar Prasad became associated with the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation during the formation of the All India Students Association. He is credited with almost single-handedly building up the All India Students Association during his stay in Jawaharlal Nehru University. He was elected to the body of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union as the vice president for one term and president for two terms. He is said to have played a key role in creating the foundations of labourers, students, women's and dalits rights movements among the students community. After completing his M.Phil., he moved back to his hometown of Siwan to start a movement there. was the prime accused for the shooting along with 5 other members of the Janata Dal (later split into Janata Dal (United) and Rashtriya Janata Dal).

Investigation and trial On 26 February 2012, following the investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation, a special court the prime accused in the case. On 23 March 2012, a fourth accused was sentenced for life whose trial had run separately and a fifth accused had died during the course of the trials, therefore, no convictions were brought against him.

Recognition In 2010, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt initiated a project to create a biopic of Chandrashekhar Prasad titled Chandu. The announcement invoked controversy against any perceived sense of distortions of facts on the contemporary figure. The project however stated that the film will not indulge in any distortion of facts for commercial gains and will be produced as a documentary film. The documentary film maker Ajay Kanchan was employed as director. The actor Imran Zahid was cast to play the role of Chandrashekhar "Chandu" Prasad. In 2013, the project was scrapped due to opposition to its production and concerns of potential legal hurdles as a result of the cases related to the assassination being sub judice at the time. The project was revived in 2016 and is currently under production as a non-commercial documentary.

In 2017, a memorial statue of Chandrashekhar Prasad was installed in Gopalganj More Chowk (which has been renamed Chandrashekhar Chowk) in Siwan, Bihar. Kaushalya Devi, the mother of Chandrashekhar, has also donated a piece of land near the memorial to the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation for the construction of a school and a library in her son's memory.