Ramjas clashes: ABVP ends campus protest, says ‘won’t allow JNU repeat’
ABVP members, who had gathered at the Arts Block on Thursday, to protest against ‘anti-nationals’, ended their strike warning against a repeat of last year’s JNU incident.
Members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) ended their protest against ‘anti-nationals’ on Thursday warning that “any repeat of last year’s events in JNU” will not be tolerated. The members of the RSS backed students body were holding the protest a day after violent clashes in Delhi University’s North Campus over literature festival at Ramjas College.
“We had to stage this protest as we cannot allow anti-nationals to turn DU into JNU. Even in future anyone does anything of this sort we will again raise the issue and protest,” said Satendra Awana, ABVP member and former DUSU president.
Around 40 ABVP members had gathered at the Arts Block at 12pm amid heavy police presence. “Yesterday students raised slogans of Kashmir’s azadi, disrespected Bharat mata and also the national flag. We will not tolerate such activity in the campus and our protest is against that. We will be protesting at arts faculty,” Amit Tanwar, DUSU president, told HT.
As more students joined in to take part, NSUI members started gathering at Chhatra Marg on the other side for a peaceful demonstration. “We have not called for a protest but a peaceful march. We believe in non violence and stand for freedom of speech and expression. We would like to request everyone not to politicise the matter,” said Amrita Dhawan, NSUI president.
At ITO police headquarters, nearly 300 JNU and DU gathered holding placards and demanding against ABVP members who had allegedly resorted to violence on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, classes were suspended at Ramjas College on Thursday. The college management, however, said it was for administrative reasons. “Classes have been suspended from 9.30 am because of the flower show and not because of Wednesday’s violence. Earlier a notification said no classes will be suspended from 12.30 pm but then it was changed to 9.30am,” says a teacher at Ramjas College.
