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Panjab University research scholar affiliated with ABVP beaten up in campus
The scholar had snapped ties with ABVP over a year-and-a-half ago after joining Panjab University as a guest faculty member
A research scholar who was earlier affiliated with Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) was on Friday night beaten up by another party leader and others involved in student politics on the Panjab University (PU) campus.
The victim, Kuldeep Pangal, who is now a guest faculty member at the varsity’s department of geography, was out for a walk in the garden beside the vice-chancellor’s (VC) office around 9:30 pm on Saturday when he was attacked.
“There were around 8-10 people who beat me up with rods. I was with a friend who is an advocate in the Punjab and Haryana high court, who also sustained some injuries,” he told police in his complaint.
Kuldeep was taken to the Government Multi Specialty Hospital (GMSH), Sector 16, for treatment and was discharged after first-aid.
A complaint was submitted to the PU authorities, with dean students welfare Jatinder Grover informing the police.
Pangal has identified four of the assailants including Harish Gujjar, who was ABVP’s presidential candidate in last year’s PU student polls. Pangal said he too had earlier been associated with the ABVP, being the party president in 2018 and 2019, but had snapped ties over a year-and-a-half ago after joining the varsity as a guest faculty member.
“I wasn’t on campus on the election day, but Gujjar had earlier threatened to kill me if the party were to lose,” he said.
A case under Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered at the Sector 11 police station.
“The victim has yet to submit his medical report. We will examine it and add further IPC Sections if necessary. The accused haven’t been arrested as of now,” an official privy to the investigation said.
The case has been registered against Gujjar, Karan Sheoran, Sukhraj Gill and Dilbagh among others. Pangal said not all of the accused were associated with ABVP, adding that he was also not sure if all the assailants were even students of the university.
On being contacted, ABVP’s PU president Rajat Puri said he was not in town and had not heard of the incident.
