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Lucknow University violence: HC summons top police officers, vice-chancellor
LU chief proctor Vinod Singh and others had suffered injuries on Wednesday when a group of around 25 people — mostly students expelled from Lucknow University.
Taking cognisance of the violence that broke out in Lucknow University a day earlier, the Allahabad high court on Thursday summoned the varsity’s vice-chancellor Prof S P Singh and senior police officials.
The division bench of justice Vikram Nath and justice Rajesh Singh Chauhan in Lucknow took cognisance of a report published in HT, and summoned Prof SP Singh, varsity proctor Vinod Singh, registrar SK Shukla, UP director general of police OP Singh and Lucknow SSP Deepak Kumar and sought details of the incident.
The court asked the officials to make the report published in the Hindustan Times from Lucknow to be made a part of the record.
It observed that the attack on the teachers, forcing the closure of the institution indefinitely and stalling this year’s admission process, had been prominently carried on the front pages of several leading newspapers.
LU chief proctor Vinod Singh and others had suffered injuries on Wednesday when a group of around 25 people — mostly students expelled from the institution — pelted stones at them on the campus.
Taking note of the alleged negligence of police personnel on duty, DGP OP Singh ordered an inquiry into the incident.
He also ordered the transfer of circle officer (city), Anurag Singh and suspension of LU police outpost in-charge Pankaj Mishra after a delegation of LU vice-chancellor and teachers met him.
The Lucknow police have arrested three people allegedly involved in the violence.
Ashish Mishra alias Boxer, Ankit Singh Babu and Ayush have been arrested in connection with the violence, spokesman of Lucknow police Arun Kumar said.
The DGP said inspector general of police, Lucknow range, Sujeet Pandey had been asked to conduct a detailed inquiry into the violence and lapses on the part of the police.
He also sought an explanation as to why adequate arrangements were not made on the campus even when the LU administration had intimated the police in advance about possible trouble.
Singh said he heard the allegations made by the LU delegation and assured them that stern action would be taken against police personnel responsible for lapses.
The LU proctor had lodged an FIR against 25 people in connection with the alleged attack on teachers and authorities.
He had named Ashish Mishra, Vinay Yadav, Himanshu and Akash Srivastava in the FIR.
Spokesperson Kumar said the police were trying to identify the accused through video footage and photographs telecast or published in the media.
“Some people have been detained for questioning and raids are on to nab the accused,” he said.
After the violence, the vice-chancellor had announced the decision to suspend the admission process.
Terming the incident as “unprecedented”, the VC denounced the police for being mute spectators.
