1,000 BHU students booked for vandalism

Shahira Naim

Tribune News Service

Lucknow, September 25

Trouble on the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) campus is likely to snowball after the Varanasi police registered cases for vandalism and arson against 1,000 unidentified students of the university. Fourteen students have already been arrested. Two police officials have also been removed.

With the hostels almost empty and the university closed till October 2, the campus appeared deserted. Still approximately 1,500 policemen, including personnel of the Provincial Armed Constabulary, are stationed there ostensibly to maintain law and order.

A BHU girl student, who was forcibly evicted from the hostel by the BHU administration on Sunday, complained, “We face sexual harassment on the campus. When we complain, the university administration pays no heed, when we protest we are lathi-charged and then we are being implicated in criminal cases. What kind of justice is this?” Students pointed out that when they were taking out a peace march on the campus on Sunday, the police again stopped them near the International Hostel and used batons to disperse them.

A number of students, mostly girls, were attacked with batons by the police on Saturday night inside the campus, injuring many of them. The students had been protesting the BHU administration’s “apathy” to act against molestation of a girl student on September 21 and its failure to provide security measures such as CCTVs and proper lighting on the campus.

The district administration has removed Station Officer of Lanka police station Rajiv Singh and Circle Officer of Bhelupur police station Nivesh Katiyar as well as three additional city magistrates—Manoj Kumar Singh, Sushil Kumar Gaund and Jagdamma Prasad Singh.

On CM Yogi Adityanath’s orders, Chief Secretary Rajiv Kumar has asked Varanasi divisional commissioner Nitin Ramesh Gokarn and ADG Vishwajeet Mahapatra to jointly investigate the Saturday night lathi-charge, arson and vandalism on the campus and submit a report soon.

The UP Government appears to be under pressure as the PM spoke to Yogi to inquire about the BHU incident, which has rocked his parliamentary constituency for the last two days.

After being released by the district administration, the Congress delegation, including UPCC chief Raj Babbar and PL Punia, staged a dharna at Lanka crossing today after they were not allowed to visit the campus. The district administration did not allow the Samajwadi Party delegation near the campus and even used force to disperse party supporters.

Find out reason for unrest: Ex-Chancellor 

Expressing distress over events in Varanasi, veteran parliamentarian and former Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University Karan Singh on Monday asked the university authorities to institute an impartial inquiry to identify the cause of the situation. “I am deeply distressed at the recent unrest in the great Banaras Hindu University with which I was closely associated for 15 years. The incident involving our precious girl students was most deplorable,” Singh said. TNS

Sack VC: Cong 

The Vice-Chancellor has been utterly insensitive and incorrigible and must be sacked. A sitting high court judge should investigate how this happened and Prime Minister Narendra Modi should speak up. Why is the PM silent on this preposterous and shocking incident. What is his stand on this atrocity? Manish Tewari, Cong spokesperson