NSUI denies being involved in ruckus at Team Anna's protest venue

Congress party's student-wing NSUI on Wednesday denied that its activists were involved in the ruckus at the Team Anna's protest site in the national capital.

Congress party's student-wing NSUI on Wednesday denied that its activists were involved in the ruckus at the Team Anna's protest site in the national capital.

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The students' group issued a clarification later in the day after it was reported that a group of students suspected to be NSUI activists had raised slogans and created disturbance at the venue where Team Anna members launched an indefinite fast.

"We would like to issue a clarification in this regard and state that NSUI had absolutely nothing to do with the incident...there has been no involvement of NSUI in the reported ruckus at the Jantar Mantar which is the venue of Anna Hazare's fast," a statement from National Students' Union of India (NSUI) spokesperson Amrish Pandey said.

It further said that the incident might be the act of "anti-NSUI" members trying to harm the outfit's image.

Earlier in the day, the proceedings at Jantar Mantar witnessed a brief chaos when a group of people wearing 'I am Anna' caps rose from among the crowd and shouted slogans against Arvind Kejriwal, minutes after Anna Hazare and his close aides took the dais.

A minor scuffle ensued between the sloganeering activists and Team Anna volunteers. The protesters were taken out of the venue where they continued sloganeering against Kejriwal.

Team Anna member Kumar Vishwas claimed they had an audio clip in which the protesters were purportedly taped saying 'Give Anna a push and beat up Arvind and Manish'.

The NSUI said it "highly" condemns the action and would like the police to pursue the case and look into the matter.

"...we suspect the role of anti-NSUI members in this act who might have tried to tarnish our image," it said.

It said neither did any of the office bearers and representatives of NSUI were part of the act, nor were any banners and posters found, as is the norm if such a protest is conducted.