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DUSU polls 2019: NSUI candidate alleges assault, but ABVP files police complaint
NSUI, the student wing of the Congress, said its candidate was beaten with sticks by ABVP members while campaigning in the College of Vocational Studies (CVS) and had to be taken to RML hospital for treatment.
Three days ahead of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections, Ankit Bharti, the vice-presidential candidate of National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) alleged he was attacked by members of rival party Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). The ABVP, however, denied the allegations.
NSUI, the student wing of the Congress, said its candidate was beaten with sticks by ABVP members while campaigning in the College of Vocational Studies (CVS) and had to be taken to RML hospital for treatment.
“When I went to CVS for campaigning, they beat me and stopped me from entering the campus. I was beaten with belts and sticks,” Bharti said, pointing to his torn shirt and bleeding head.
ABVP, however, alleged that the NSUI candidates clashed among themselves. “There was a clash among the supporters of NSUI secretary candidate Ashish Lamba and Bharti in CVS, in which his supporters were hurt. We had nothing to do with it,” Ashutosh Singh, state media in-charge for the ABVP, said.
ABVP state secretary Siddharth Yadav said the outfit has written to station house officer of Malviya Nagar police station demanding action against those involved in the CVS violence.
“Cheap political tactics by NSUI have polluted the election environment of student elections. We request you to look into the case and go in depth to find the perpetrators of the act,” Yadav wrote.
He added that ABVP’s vice presidential candidate Pradeep Tanwar was campaigning on north campus on Monday and the allegations of violence in CVS against him were false.
Deputy commissioner of police(south) Atul Thakur said police have received a complaint from the ABVP about the alleged violence. The officer said police are looking into the complaint.
NSUI Delhi president Akshay Lakra said, “Bharti was beaten up badly and had to be taken to the hospital. We were busy with his treatment and haven’t been able to file a complaint yet. We have video footage in which ABVP members can be seen assaulting Bharti. Why would our own candidate hurt Bharti and that too during the last leg of the campaign? We will give an appropriate response to ABVP’s complaint.”
