FIR against 3 for assaulting DU student over poll sloganeering

On September 5, the student was assaulted in the college campus for allegedly refusing to raise slogans in support of a DUSU election candidate

Police have lodged a first information report against three people for allegedly assaulting a 19-year-old undergraduate student of Delhi University inside PGDAV College for refusing to raise slogans in support of their candidate in the upcoming student union elections, officers said on Wednesday.

The Delhi University Student Union elections are held every year. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)

The student, who in his third year, was injured in the alleged September 5 assault, and underwent treatment, police said.

A case in this regard was lodged on September 7 against Kuldeep Bidhuri, Manish Dedha, and Deepak Awana on the basis of the statement of the victim and analysis CCTV footage, officers said. They were former students of the college, and were there to seek support for an independent candidate, according to available information.

The three were bound down in the case, police said.

“Investigation into the case is in progress,” said a senior police officer, who asked not to be named.

On September 5, at around 2pm, the student was in the college campus, when Bidhuri approached him and asked him to raise slogans supporting his group in the elections, the officer said.

“Singh refused by saying that he did not want to participate in sloganeering for any party. Soon, five to six people, including the three accused, started assaulting him,” the officer said, quoting the statement of the complainant, who lives in Devli Khanpur in south Delhi.

The student in his statement alleged that during the assault, his gold chain was misplaced. “When he ran outside the campus, the alleged assaulters followed and waylaid him, and beat him,” the officer added.

The student then informed the police control room about the assault. A police team arrived and took him to AIIMS Trauma Centre. A team from the Lajpat Nagar police station visited the hospital and recorded the student’s statement. The allegations were verified, following which a case of voluntarily causing hurt, wrongful restraint and common intention was registered under sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 34 (criminal act done with common intention) on September 7, officers said.

On the action taken in the case, professor Chandra Shekhar, chief election officer for DUSU polls, said, “We have not received any such information yet. If we receive a complaint, we will look into the matter and take necessary action.”

The three accused will be asked to join the investigation as and when required, police said.