UP: ABVP protests baton charge in Barabanki, demands strict action

Lucknow, Sep 5 (IANS) The incident of a baton charge on Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) members at Shri Ramswaroop Memorial University in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, has sparked widespread outrage.

In response, ABVP held statewide protests on Friday demanding justice.

In Mau, ABVP organised a torch march from the Arya Samaj Temple to Mirzahadi Pura. During the protest, ABVP-affiliated students asserted that their agitation would continue until their demands were met.

District organisation secretary Gyan Prasad told IANS that on September 1, ABVP students staged a major protest at Shri Ramswaroop Memorial University in Barabanki.

“The university administration continues to admit students into its LLB course, which had already been cancelled a year ago by the Bar Council of India. The administration allegedly misled students, playing with their future. When ABVP raised its voice, police resorted to a baton charge, injuring several students. We demand appropriate action in this matter.”

Protests were also held in Lakhimpur Kheri and Jaunpur, where ABVP members carried out torch marches.

In Jaunpur, the procession began at the north gate of Tilak Dhari Singh College and proceeded to JCI Crossing.

ABVP has put forward four key demands:

Action against police personnel involved in the baton charge.

Investigation into alleged irregularities persisting over the past three years.

Swift action on the FIRs filed.

Inquiry into the alleged illegal possession of six bighas of land by the university.

The organisation has warned that a larger agitation will follow if their demands are not addressed.

In Kanpur as well, ABVP members staged protests. They claimed that police brutality in Barabanki against their members was unacceptable and needed to be addressed. Protests continued across the state.

ABVP’s State Media Coordinator, Dinesh Yadav, stated, “ABVP has been consistently protesting the irregularities at Ramswaroop Memorial University. The police responded with brutal baton charges on students.”

Protests are ongoing in Barabanki as well. Protesters alleged that students were mercilessly beaten, several of them sustaining serious injuries and requiring hospitalisation. They warned that if their demands were not fulfilled, the student movement would intensify further.

--IANS

brt/dan