Over a dozen hurt as CSAU students barge into hostel, attack juniors

KANPUR: Over a dozen students and two security guards were injured when senior students of the Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture Technology (CSAUAT) forcibly entered the Farmers’ Hostel at 4 am on Wednesday and allegedly attacked their juniors, university authorities said.

A university official said the students might have entered the hostel with an intention to rag juniors.

Vice-chancellor Sushil Solomon convened an emergency meeting after the incident to initiate steps to ensure the safety of new students and take strict disciplinary action against students who resorted to violence.

While the meeting continued till late in the evening, the vice chancellor left for Lucknow to attend a pre-scheduled meeting with chief minister Yogi Adityanath.

A senior university official, who did not wish to be named, said the joint meeting of hostel wardens and members of the disciplinary committee recommended strict action against senior students involved in the violence.

“Members of the two committees have also started identifying students involved in the incident. Future course of action will be decided after the VC returns from Lucknow,” he added.

Police force was deployed at the hostel but the university authorities did not lodge any report till late in the evening.

Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Akhilesh Kumar said security had been beefed up on the university campus.

“We will extend full support to the university administration to maintain peace on the campus,” he added.

Media coordinator of the university Prof Vedratan said, “The exact number of senior students who caused hooliganism at Farmers’ Hostel could not be ascertained. Most of the students were inmates of RSRP Hostel but some of them also belonged to Subhas Hostel.”

He said the exact cause of the incident was not known but apparently the students raided the hostel to rag their juniors.

“About 125 students who have taken admission to first year of their graduation course are staying at the Farmers’ Hostel on the university campus,” he said.

Prof Vedratan said the students broke open the main gate to enter the hostel building. “They reached the hostel rooms and broke the window panes to force the inmates to come out. Private security guards deployed at the hostel tried to stop senior students but they were beaten up and forced to run away from the hostel,” he added. Students from both the sides received injuries in the clash. On getting information, VC Sushil Solomon, professors and security guards reached the Farmers’ Hostel but by then senior students managed to escape.