ABVP activists vandalise Azim Premji University campus, assault students over Kashmir discussion

Bengaluru: Tension gripped Azim Premji University on Tuesday after members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) barged into its Sarjapur Road campus, vandalised property, and allegedly assaulted a student and security guards while protesting a discussion on the Kunan Poshpura mass rape.

About 20 ABVP activists vandalised the private university’s logo outside the main gate using iron rods and blackened the nameboard before police arrived.

Police took 18 protesters into preventive custody after nearly two hours and said they would register a criminal case following a preliminary inquiry.

Police had no information about the incident till the video of the protest went viral on social media. It took them two hours to bring the situation under control, an officer said.

Spark Reading Circle, affiliated with the All India Students Association (AISA), had released posters for a discussion on the 1991 Kunan Poshpora mass rape. The event was schedueld for 6 pm.

The poster stated that 35 women were gang-raped by Army men personnel. "35 years on, not a single conviction has taken place… This is just one among the numerous instances of violence inflicted on the people of Kashmir. Join us for the discussion on the violence by the Indian State on Kashmir," it read.

ABVP's charge

ABVP activists alleged that the event portrayed the Indian Army in a "derogatory manner and included discussions related to the separation of Kashmir from India". They also accused certain student groups of conducting programmes "against the unity and integrity of the country".

In a petition addressed to the Union Home Ministry, the ABVP demanded action against the student organisation and an inquiry into the incident. It also demanded action against the university administration for allegedly allowing such events on campus.

What university said

A university statement said, "On February 24 around 6 pm, a group of 20 people forced their way into our campus in Bengaluru. They shouted slogans, vandalised some of the property, and assaulted a few of our security guards and students. We reported the incident immediately to the local police station (Sarjapur). Police acted swiftly and rounded them up."

"Those who had forced their entry into our campus were protesting about an event that they claimed was going to be held on our campus. The Azim Premji University had not authorised any event of this nature. The university follows strict procedures before any event is held on campus. This event which was allegedly planned by a small group of students did not happen at all. We strongly condemn the ruckus and violence that was unleashed on our campus by this external group of people," it said.

Students' counter-protest

Later in the evening, students gathered for an AISA-organised protest against the ABVP's "communal, fascist, casteist and patriarchal" assault.

The students said ABVP attack was organised to "silence" a discussion organised by students that sought to centre the voices of Kashmiri women and reflect on questions of justice, memory and accountability.

In a statement, students said the attack was meant to “silence” a discussion centring the voices of Kashmiri women and reflecting on justice, memory and accountability. They also alleged that police personnel present at the site initially failed to intervene to prevent the mob from entering the campus or de-escalate the situation.