Protests at BHU Looks Like Naxalite Movement, Says Subramanian Swamy

A number of students, including women, and two journalists were injured in a lathicharge by the police in BHU where a protest on Saturday night against an alleged eve-teasing incident turned violent. The cellphone video of the violence has gone viral on social media, garnering widespread condemnation for the state and central governments, as also the vice-chancellor of BHU, who called in the cops to “control” the protests.

Meanwhile, the police on Monday has filed a first information report (FIR) against almost 1000 BHU students for arson, media reported.

On Thursday, evening a student was allegedly molested by bike-borne miscreants near Bharat Kala Bhawan in the university premises. “Lathicharge on BHU students is condemnable”. The protest took place when the three men on a motorbike harassed the art student while returning to the hostel.

One student, Akanskha Gupta, said campus officials did not take their complaints of harassment seriously.

A BHU spokesperson said some students wanted to “forcibly” enter the vice-chancellor’s residence but they were stopped by the BHU security guards. Female students at the prestigious University were protesting against the administration’s alleged victim-shaming after one of them reported an incident of molestation on Thursday.

Angered over the laid back attitude of the administration and lack of action from their side, the students staged protests outside the campus on Friday and blocked entry to the campus through the main gate. She alleged that when she approached her warden, she was asked why she was returning to her hostel late at night.

“I am going to look into the shortcomings and we will involve girls studying in the university”, he said.

The Uttar Pradesh government and the BJP came under scathing attack of the opposition post the incident.

The party demanded that President Ram Nath Kovind, who is the Visitor of the University, should immediately take cognisance of what has happened in BHU and sack the Vice Chancellor. This type casting is a logical outcome of the penetration of Hindutva supporters in institutions of higher education.

He said that the women students were only raising their voice against molestation, demanding safety on campus, which is their right.

The victim student tonsured her head in protest and appealed for an immediate inquiry into her case. They asked for things such as CCTV cameras to be installed, round-the-clock security, recruitment of women police officers, and they asked for a Gender Sensitization Committee against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH).