Hundreds participate in protest against ABVP

The Delhi University remained the epicentre of student politics for the 10th consecutive day as the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) took out a march and held demonstrations against the RSS and its affiliates, accusing them of disrupting education and democracy.

Hundreds of students from various states, including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and West Bengal, participated in the protest march on Friday amid heavy deployment of police.

The Delhi Police have tightened security in and around the campus in view of the protest at Ramjas College last week. “We will protest until there is freedom of speech and expression on campuses,” SFI president V P Sanu said.

Meanwhile, a delegation of Akhila Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad leaders called on Lt Governor Anil Baijal demanding an FIR against “communist students” who raised “Azadi” slogans at Ramjas College on February 21.

In its memorandum, the ABVP termed the slogans “anti-national” and said it spoiled the academic harmony of the university.

“The raising of such slogans led to a scuffle among the students as the elected body of Ramjas College opposed it. Several complaints were lodged in this connection. Though video recordings and other evidence were submitted to the police, they did not lodge an FIR against the accused,” an ABVP member said.

‘File charge sheet’

The outfit also demanded that Baijal direct the Delhi Police to file a charge sheet against the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students who were booked for “anti-national sloganeering” at an event organised in memory of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru last year.

It described JNU research scholar Umar Khalid as the prime accused in the case. “The accused are openly spreading intellectual vehemence in academic spaces,” the memorandum read.

Meanwhile, the Congress-backed National Students Union of India held a campaign holding placards and roses in Delhi University, seeking peace.