Violence and arson was reported from the Allahabad University campus in the early hours of Saturday after results of elections to the students’ union were announced, reported The Hindu. Miscreants allegedly set fire to rooms in a hostel occupied by the winning candidate.
The Samajwadi Chatra Sabha, the students’ wing of the Samajwadi Party, won the posts of president and joint secretary. The National Students’ Union of India of the Congress won the seats of the vice-president and the cultural secretary. The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party, won the post of the general secretary.
Samajwadi Chatra Sabha’s presidential candidate Uday Prakash Yadav’s room, including all his belongings inside, was gutted in the arson. The room of last year’s president Awanish Yadav, also from the Samajwadi Chatra Sabha, was burnt down. Along with his car, several motorcycles were also set ablaze. The police have started an investigation into the incident but no arrests have been made so far.
Fire engines and police officers were dispatched to the campus to bring the situation under control, reported ANI. Another report said crude bombs were also hurled.
Uday Prakash Yadav claimed a lax police force was responsible for the violence. “This is not an ordinary incident,” said the first-year law student from Deoria. “But the police administration is silent because the BJP, known for its misuse of government machinery, has induced a cracking defeat.”
Prince Dixit, public relations officer to the Allahabad superintendent of police, said the situation was returning to normal.
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad in a statement rejected allegations that the miscreants belonged to the party. “According to our information, the people who were involved in the violence were the personal supporters of different presidential candidates,” it said. “The supporters are not the members of ABVP and if anybody is trying to blame the ABVP for that, it is a strategy to defame us.” The organisation said that it condemns any kind of violence in academic institutions.
Meanwhile, the office-bearers were sworn in later in the day amid heavy police presence.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!