The government on Thursday ruled out any intervention in connection with the violence at Ramjas College, saying Delhi University is an autonomous institution and police will take required action.
“How can we intervene? They are an autonomous university. Police will investigate and take required action,” Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar told PTI on the sidelines of an event.
“Nobody… neither the university, college administration nor the students have approached us for help so far,” he replied to a query about law and order situation on the campus. Ramjas College had turned into a battleground on Wednesday as students of Left-affiliated AISA and the RSS-backed ABVP armed with hockey sticks rained blows on each other, causing injuries to many.
The genesis of the clash was an invite to JNU students Umar Khalid, facing sedition charge, and Shehla Rashid to address a seminar on ‘Culture of Protests’ which was withdrawn by the college authorities following opposition by the ABVP.
A few policemen and journalists were also roughed up yesterday during the violence after students from DU and JNU gathered outside the college to hold a protest march against ABVP’s threat to call off the seminar. They were demanding action against the ABVP members, who had allegedly heckled and thrown stones at students gathered for a seminar at a conference hall where Umar Khalid was invited to speak.
Before the march could take off, ABVP members reached the spot and clashed with the demonstrators despite heavy police deployment. While a senior Delhi Police official today acknowledged the personnel handled the clashes in an “unprofessional” manner, the agitating students have demanded that multiple FIRs be registered on the basis of complaints filed by injured students and teachers.
(Feature image source: PTI)
