ABVP, SFS supporters clash on PU campus

Police round up 8 students, 4 each from both parties; footage to be given to disciplinary panel

What the chief security officer says

  • The PU chief security officer said the footage of the scuffle would be forwarded to the PU disciplinary committee on Tuesday morning for action. He said a complaint had been sent to the PU VC, the Registrar and the Dean, Students Welfare, by the security department.
ABVP, SFS supporters clash on PU campus
Activists of the ABVP and the SFS scuffle during a protest organised by the ABVP at the PU on Monday. Tribune Photos: Pradeep Tewari

 

Ramjas row

ABVP and SFS student organisations during the clash at Student Centre in Panjab University, Chandigarh, on Monday.(Karun Sharma/HT Photo)

Activists of student organisations — right-wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and left-leaning Students for Society (SFS) — clashed on the Panjab University campus on Monday, in an apparent fallout of the row over the disruption of a literary event at Delhi University’s Ramjas College last week.

The situation at Student Centre, where the clash broke out, became so tense that police had to be called in, with the rival outfits resorting to violence and hurling abuses at each other. Eight students — four each belonging to the two organisations — were arrested as preventive measure on the complaint of the PU chief security officer.

Arrest a preventive measure: Police

Sector-11 station house officer (SHO) Lakhbir Singh said, “We have arrested them as a preventive measure under sections 107 and 151 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). We will produce them before the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) tomorrow. Their medical will also be conducted at Government Multi-Specialty Hospital (GMSH), Sector 16.”

Activists being detained by police. (Karun Sharma/HT Photo)

Those arrested are Saurabh Kapoor, Kushal Kondal, Harmanjot Singh Gill and Akshay of ABVP; Ravinder Singh, Gurpreet, Ramanpreet and Daman of SFS.

Reports said over 100 ABVP supporters gathered at the Student Centre at 1:30pm to hold a protest against the SFS, which they said had called the security forces “rapists” in a speech at PU on Saturday in response to the Ramjas incident. Soon after they started raising slogans, the SFS supporters entered into an argument with them, and it eventually took the shape of a brawl.

The supporters of both student parties had a heated argument at the PU during a protest held by the ABVP against the SFS alleging that it had used derogatory remarks against the Army during a discussion on the campus. 

Later, both parties raised slogans against each other at the Student Centre. The PU security staff intervened, but failed to control the situation following which the police were called.Supporters of both parties entered into a scuffle four times. PU chief security officer Jatinder Grover said a written complaint had been submitted to the police along with the video footage of the incident for action.Allegations and counter-allegations were levelled by both parties against each other over the clash.ABVP members alleged that its woman supporter was manhandled by the SFS.

However, the SFS claimed that a woman supporter of the party had tackled the ABVP supporter, who tried to enter into a scuffle. “We condemn the violence by the SFS. The police have arrested ABVP members Harmanjot Singh, Saurbh Kapoor, Kushal Kondal and Akshay,” said Harmanjot Singh of the ABVP.“After the JNU and the DU, the ABVP today tried to impose its pseudo nationalist agenda in the PU and demonstrated against the SFS. After the demonstration, a local journalist invited the SFS for a talk. While the journalist was conversing with members of both student parties,  ABVP ‘goons’ showed their true face and started using abusive language,” said Daman of the SFS. “

Ramanpreet Singh, Ravinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh and Ramanpreet Singh were taken into police custody following the scuffle,” said Daman.The SFS had organised a protest at the PU on Saturday and quoted an NHRC report on an incident of rape of 16 tribal women allegedly by the security forces in Chhattisgarh. The ABVP had organised a protest against the SFS and other Left organisations today alleging that they had shown the Army in poor light during their protest on Saturday.

 

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