ABVP removes illegal busts of Savarkar, Bhagat Singh and Bose from DU campus

Five days after the Delhi University students’ union (DUSU) president Shakti Singh installed the busts of VD Savarkar, Bhagat Singh and Subhas Chandra Bose outside

Five days after the Delhi University students’ union (DUSU) president Shakti Singh installed the busts of VD Savarkar, Bhagat Singh and Subhas Chandra Bose outside the varsity’s arts faculty complex without taking necessary permission from the administration, members of RSS students’ wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP) removed them at around 2am on Saturday.

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The busts were installed overnight by the DUSU president without the approval from the university. While the students’ groups criticised the move, the ABVP, to which Shakti Singh belongs, too disagreed with the way it was installed.

ABVP state secretary Sidharth Yadav said they removed the busts after receiving an assurance from the Delhi University (DU) administration that the busts will be re-installed. “ABVP removed the busts till further permission is obtained from the DU administration. Busts have been kept safe by the University of Delhi. ABVP has been assured by DU the busts will be reinstalled after DUSU elections following the required process ,” he said.

Shakti Singh, the outgoing DUSU president, said the university “hurt the sentiments of the students’ union”. “The university administration has betrayed the entire DU community by removing the busts. We will soon hold a protest against the move,” he said. When asked about the ABVP state secretary’s statement, Singh said, “I have no idea about it.”

The DU administration refused to comment on ABVP state secretary’s statement on assurances of reinstalling the busts.

Earlier on Wednesday, a day after the busts were installed, the ABVP state unit distanced itself from Shakti Singh’s move. “With regard to the establishment of statues of freedom fighters outside the Art Faculty by DUSU, ABVP is of the clear view that the busts should be installed on the Delhi University campus only with the permission of the Delhi University administration and other concerned authorities,” Yadav had said in the statement.

The installation of busts drew criticism from all groups. Members of Congress-affiliated National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) on Thursday had vandalised Savarkar’s bust.