ABVP tussles with varsity union head

Division in student union at Allahabad

Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), which was in the news following a suicide by a Dalit student of University of Hyderabad, has been having a tussle with the president of the Allahabad University Students’ Union, a woman, allegedly over ‘ideological differences’.

Richa Singh, a research scholar, created history after she defeated her nearest ABVP rival to bag the post of president in the students’ union last year to become the first woman president in varsity’s 128-year history.

Richa, however, has found the going tough as the other office bearers of the union, who   all ABVP nominees  are not on the same page.

The ABVP leaders on Wednesday forced the varsity vice-chancellor to cancel a programme organised by Richa inside the campus which was to be attended by senior journalist Siddharth Varadarajan.

Though the VC was also scheduled to attend the programme, he not only backed out at the eleventh hour but also refused permission to organise the programme on the campus after ABVP leaders embarked on a fast outside his residence in protest against it. ABVP leader and union’s vice-president Vikrant Singh had threatened to block entry of the participants into the campus.

Tension prevailed in the varsity campus and security personnel in strength were deployed as a precautionary measure, police sources here said.

Earlier Richa had successfully thwarted the ABVP’s attempt to organise a programme inside the varsity campus in which firebrand BJP MP Yogi Adityanath was scheduled to take part.

The programme was however held at a venue outside the varsity.
“If we cannot invite Adityanath then we will not allow Varadrajan”, said an ABVP leader.

Richa had earlier alleged that she faced threat to her life from the ABVP leaders, who were deeply upset by her win at the union polls last year. Varsity officials said that they had written to the district authorities to take measures to prevent any clash inside the campus.

The varsity officials also apprehended that the ongoing confrontation between Richa and the ABVP leaders could turn violent affecting the academic atmosphere in the varsity.