ABVP members, students clash; many injured
NEW DELHI: Delhi University's Ramjas College on Wednesday turned a veritable a battleground as over 20 students were reportedly injured after two groups clashed over the college cancelling its invite to JNU'S Umar Khalid for a seminar.
A section of teachers and students had planned to march to Maurice Nagar police station, demanding action against the ABVP members for alleged vandalism. All India Students' Association or AISA activists claimed that on Tuesday, ABVP activists threw stones, locked the seminar room and cut the power supply — charges that have been denied by the ABVP.
A group of students and teachers had gathered in protest against Ramjas College for allegedly cancelling its invite to Umar Khalid, one of the JNU students slapped with sedition last year. He and former JNUSU vice-president Shehla Rashid were slated to speak at a session on the “culture of protest” organised as part of a two-day seminar by the college literary society. But after protests by the Bjp-linked ABVP, their talk was scrapped. As they raised slogans outside the college on Wednesday, ABVP activists arrived at the scene. AISA activists say they were surrounded by ABVP mem- bers and not allowed to march. Students from Ramjas College and other Delhi University colleges describe this a “breach of freedom of expression”.
Amid sloganeering and fights, police were deployed to bring the situation under control but scuffles and demonstrations did not
stop. Teachers and students were badly injured and received treatment along with some journalists who were also caught in the melee and beaten up.
The ABVP members, along with the police, had almost blocked the institute and threatened that no march would be allowed. ABVP tried snatching mobile phones of journalists and other equipment were also broken by its members.
Later, teachers and students were roughed up by the ABVP members who allegedly threw bottles and chairs on them. A student suffered head injuries and a senior faculty member Prashanto Chakraborty was also attacked by ABVP members.
Kawalpreet Kaur, president of the AISA, said: “I am totally aghast by the state of affairs our academic institutions have got into. It is still difficult to believe that stones were being pelted in a DU college just for organising a literary discussion.”
Roshni, a second-year student of Ramjas, said: “ABVP ki gundagardi nahi chalegi. We will not let these goons curb our freedom of expression.”
ABVP leader Abhishek Verma claimed: “There was no violence. The ABVP always promotes discussion. But you need to maintain decorum...the college students and teachers didn't want Umar Khalid.” On Tuesday, the Ramjas College principal, Rajender Prasad said: “While the seminar will continue we decided to cancel the participation of these two students. It is not that we do not advocate freedom of speech but it had to be done keeping harmony of campus in mind.”