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Protests at some universities in UP over JNU incident
LUCKNOW/VARANASI/PRAYAGRAJ/AGRA/GORAKHPUR Protests were held at some universities in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday night and Monday against the attack at Jawaharlal Nehru
LUCKNOW/VARANASI/PRAYAGRAJ/AGRA/GORAKHPUR Protests were held at some universities in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday night and Monday against the attack at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) by some masked men.
The protests began at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) on Sunday night and, by Monday afternoon, spread to the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in Varanasi and the Allahabad University (AU) in Prayagraj.
ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY
Student groups held a peaceful candlelight protest on the AMU campus on Sunday night, denouncing the JNU attack. Within minutes, police strengthened security at AMU circle outside the campus. The district administration deployed Rapid Action Force (RAF), along with UP Police.
The students’ move prompted the university administration to extend the winter vacation until further notice. Otherwise, the university was scheduled to reopen on Monday.
Subsequently, the students took out a ‘Tiranga Yatra’ on the campus late on Monday afternoon to express solidarity with JNU students.
The AMU students covered 500 metres within the campus amid tight security.
The students then submitted an eight-point memorandum, addressed to the President of India, to senior superindent of police (SSP), Aligarh, Aakash Kulhary who was present at Bab-e-Syed Gate of AMU.
The memorandum demanded that the administration reopen the Aligarh Muslim University at the earliest (within a week) and resume the academic session.
Shouting slogans and displaying posters, the students demanded strict action against those who resorted to violence at JNU.
The students also complained about the district administration’s alleged move of sending show-cause letters to students who protested against the CAA and NRC.
In their memorandum, they urged the President to quash the “undemocratic and anti-Muslim Act”.
The students condemned “acts of majoritarianism within the country, or outside, such as the incident at the Gurudwara Nankana Sahib in Pakistan”.
Before the march, a couple of groups of girls walked towards Bab-e-Syed gate, chanting slogans of ‘Azadi’.
AMU spokesperson Prof Shafey Kidwai said university officials, including proctor Afifullah Khan and others, were present at the spot when the Tiranga Yatra was taken out.
“The yatra was peaceful and moved for about 500 metres within campus of the university and ended by handing over a memorandum to the SSP Aligarh,” said Kidwai.
“Tiranga Yatra expressed solidarity with the JNU students, condemned the attack and demanded action against goons from ABVP for the attack,” said Faiz-ul-Hasan, who led the protest.
In Prayagraj, the Allahabad University saw a face-off between Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the other students outfits such as the Congress’ National Students Union of India (NSUI), Samajwadi Party’s Samajwadi Chatra Sabha (SCS) and the Left-oriented All India Students’ Association (AISA).
The members of NSUI, SCS and AISA took out a procession from the Union Hall of Allahabad University around 12.30pm, which after passing through different departments of the university, culminated in a meeting outside the Union Hall.
Members of NSUI and other organisations expressed solidarity with students of JNU and flayed the Union government. Former Allahabad University Students’ Union vice president Akhilesh Yadav said the JNU incident had exposed the real face of the BJP government.
Members of ABVP also assembled near the Union hall and started shouting slogans in support of the Union government, which led to counter sloganeering between the two groups.
During the protest, the district police backed by RAF remained stationed on the university campus and kept the situation under control.
Initially, ADM (City), Prayagraj, AK Kanaujia tried to pacify the protesting students. Later, the police used mild force to disperse both the groups.
Allahabad University proctor Prof RS Dubey said: “Violence did not happen during the protest and the campus had adequate police force.”
BANARAS HINDU UNIVERSITY
Banaras Hindu University (BHU) on Monday saw two different protests, one by a group of students, including ABVP members and the other by students associated with Left-wing organisations such as Bhagat Singh Morcha and AISF.
ABVP members blamed the Left-wing organizations such as SFI and AISA for the violence at JNU. Students associated with Bhagat Singh Chhatra Morcha and AISF members blamed ABVP.
ABVP group marched from Mahila Mahavidyalay gate, inside BHU campus, to the university main gate under heavy police force.
The police had closed the BHU gate to prevent students from going outside the campus.
However, some ABVP members, who were already outside the gate, set an effigy of Left-wing organizations afire.
ABVP state convener Arun Chaubey said, “The violence and attack at JNU was the handiwork of the Left-wing organisations like SFI and AISA and they then levelled allegations against the ABVP.”
However, AISF district unit secretary Shashank said: “ABVP people were involved in the violence.”
A Kumar, a BHU research scholar, said “The images and clippings of the incident, which went viral on the social media, suggest that a right-wing organisation, possibly ABVP members, themselves planned the attack and later blamed it on others. ABVP and their bosses want to paint the JNU in a particular colour. As their attempts haven’t yielded the desired results so far, they are committing such things”.
Prof MP Ahirwar of BHU said that it was now clear that the masked men, who executed the attack at JNU, were none other than ABVP members.
BHU public relations officer Dr Rajesh Singh said: “The university is entirely peaceful, no untoward incident happened.”
“Adequate police force was deployed at the BHU gate as a preventive measure,” said Bharat Bhushan Tiwari, station officer of Lanka police station.
GORAKHPUR
Condemning the violence on the JNU campus on Sunday, students of Gorakhpur University, under the aegis of the Disha Chhatra Sangathan and workers of the Communist party of India CPI(M) lodged a joint protest at Nagar Nigam office .
A similar protest was staged by group of students at the university gate. “We demand a high-level inquiry in to the incident and swift action against the culprits,” said Aman Yadav, former students’ union president who led the protest.
Professor Vijay Krishna Singh, vice chancellor of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University condemned the JNU violence but added that issue was being politicised.
“As vice chancellor of a university, I condemn the violence on JNU campus. It appears to be me that some people with ill mindset were involved in the violence, along with students, to fulfill their wrong motive. Now, both the university and the local administration should control the situation and ensure that such things are not promoted on the university campus . What’s worrisome to me is the way the issue is being politicised and hyped by the media as elections are due in Delhi,” he said.
NO PROTEST AT LU
However, no demonstration was staged at the Lucknow University as the institution has remained closed on account of the winter vacations ever since violent protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) rocked the state capital on December 19 last year.
Lucknow University vice chancellor AK Rai said there was no law and order problem on the campus. He refused to comment on the JNU incident.
Hours after the JNU incident, the Nadwa seminary, a minority institution, extended its winter vacation till January 15.
