Widespread violence in Ramjas College leaves many injured

Team Udayavani, Feb 23, 2017, 9:49 AM IST

New Delhi: Delhi University’s prestigious Ramjas College on Wednesday almost turned into a war zone with students from Left-affiliated AISA and RSS-backed ABVP resorting to violent clashes including hitting each other with hockey sticks that left many of them bleeding.

The genesis of the clash was an invite to JNU students Umar Khalid, facing sedition charges, and Shehla Rashid to address a seminar on ‘Culture of Protests’ which was withdrawn by the college authorities yesterday following opposition by the ABVP.

Many teachers, policemen and a number of journalists also sustained injuries in the violence though a large contingent of police personnel was deployed across the North Campus of the Delhi University.

Police was not forthcoming when asked about the number of people who sustained injuries in the clash.

The clashes took place around 1 PM and police could bring the situation under control five hours later. A group of students were also locked up allegedly by ABVP activists for four hours at the college campus.

The ABVP supporters had yesterday also resorted to violence following which the college authorities withdrew the invitation to Rashid and Khalid, triggering widespread anger among a section of students and teachers who had planned a march today to Maurice Nagar police station, demanding action against those involved in the “vandalism”.

On their part, the ABVP members did not allow the march to proceed and allegedly locked up the students and teachers inside the college campus.

At this point, some AISA members tried to barge inside the college to “rescue the captives” resulting in the clashes.

So far no FIR has been lodged but police said they will file it soon on the complaints of the SHO of the Maurice Nagar police station and not on the basis of complaints by AISA-backed students and teachers belonging to Delhi University Teachers Association.

Ramjas Principal Rajender Prasad said he is in discussion with the teachers, who were part of organisers of the event, and requested both the groups to not disrupt the peace and harmony in the college.

“Not only the ABVP completely disrupted the seminar, they were also abusing, beating women and even journalists leaving some profusely bleeding. Why can’t the police see such hooliganism? There is adequate police presence on the campus but nobody from ABVP has been detained yet,” alleged Rashid, who was formerly JNU Students’ Union vice president.

She also alleged that “police joined the ABVP goons” in attacking her.

Abha Dev, a member of DU Teachers’ Association, claimed that besides “several students”, three teachers of different DU colleges — Prasanta Chakraborty (English), Suvrita (History) and Mousumi Bose (Philosophy) — were injured in the clashes and taken to Hindu Rao hospital.