Students protest over HC order, attempt immolation

Protesting against the High Court’s order to quash the Rajasthan University Students’ Union elections, students on Friday staged violent protest in front of university gates.

The students’ leaders and their supporters pelted stones on police and made failed
attempts of self-immolation. Police resorted to lathicharge to disperse the crowd and arrested a dozen of leaders.

In the morning, several students’ leaders and volunteers of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) gathered outside the university gates in large number to block the main road and interrupt the traffic.

Police tried to stop them following which students entered the university and started pelting stones on police. Police too rushed inside the university premises and opened lathicharge.

In the meantime, three students including ABVP’s candidate for the apex post Shankar Gora poured petrol on themselves and threatened self-immolation. This provoked other students to follow them. However, police foiled the attempt and arrested the students immediately.

“Students became aggressive and we tried to appease them in every possible manner. Later they started pelting stones on us following which we used mild force to disperse them,” said Rashtryadeep, DCP, Jaipur (east).

“Around nine students have been arrested on charges of disturbing law and order in the city. Cases have been registered against three students who tried to immolate themselves,” the officer said.

Police claimed that they had used only mild force and none of the students got injured due to it. “A few students sustained injuries in the morning but it was not due to the mild force used by police. They were hit by the stones that their peers were pelting on police,” said Rashtryadeep.

Meanwhile, student leaders have held university administration and state police responsible for the court’s decision to quash the RUSU elections.

“We respect the court’s decision. But why elections have been quashed after polling. Those leaders who were flouting recommendations of Lyngdoh committee must have been held by university administration and city police before the polling date,” said Sumit Bhagasara, a student leader.

The students have blamed that to hide their incompetence, police and university blamed students in their respective affidavits submitted in the court. They have now announced to challenge the decision in the double bench of Rajasthan High Court.

Earlier on Thursday, the High Court had quashed the Rajasthan University Students’ Union election following the open violation of Lyngdoh Committee recommendations.
The court had said university is free to conduct fresh elections but it should be strictly in accordance with the recommendations of the committee.

The court had stayed the RUSU elections immediately after the polling on August 23 2014.