Jaipur: The Congress here on Wednesday condemned the state BJP government for allowing an RSS event on the Rajasthan University campus and arresting the state NSUI president on charges of vandalism.
About The Row
On Tuesday, the National Students' Union of India, the student wing of the Congress, protested against the RSS's Vijayadashmi event at the university amid heavy police presence.
While they were not allowed in through the main gate, some NSUI activists managed to enter the campus through another gate and reached the sports ground where the event was about to commence.
They allegedly tore a poster of the event and had a confrontation with some RSS volunteers who were there to oversee the parking arrangement.
Since it was raining, the ground was empty. While the confrontation was brief, the police used force to disperse the protesters.
The RSS event was held later in the corridors of the campus due to the rain.
Several workers of the student outfit, including its president, Vinod Jakhar, were arrested during the confrontation.
The Congress demanded that Jakhar be released and alleged that the police damaged the windows of NSUI leaders' vehicles.
Former Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot Demands Strict Action
Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot demanded strict action against the police personnel responsible for damage to the vehicles, and termed their act an instance of high-handedness of the BJP government.
"The violence perpetrated by the RSS and the police against NSUI activists at Rajasthan University yesterday is the fault of the university administration. Why did the university administration allow the RSS to conduct a weapons worship ceremony on campus?" he asked.
"The university administration and the vice-chancellor are clearly acting under pressure from the RSS," he said.
Gehlot said that videos from the university show policemen vandalising the vehicles of NSUI activists.
"I have spoken with the Jaipur Police Commissioner to express my displeasure at this unwarranted action and have asked him to initiate the process of releasing the arrested activists immediately. I also spoke with injured student Ravindra Meghwal to check on his well-being and spoke with the doctors about his treatment," he said.
Leader of Opposition in the Rajasthan assembly, Tikaram Jully, said that it was unfortunate that the BJP government was trying to politicise educational institutions.
"NSUI activists peacefully protested yesterday, but RSS members attacked them with batons, while the police stood by as silent spectators. Is this what the police force is supposed to represent? This is not democracy, it is dictatorship," he said.
"The police themselves are vandalising the vehicles of NSUI activists; this is a blatant act of suppressing democracy, orchestrated by those in power," he said.
AICC general secretary and former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot also condemned the action against NSUI activists.
"It is unfortunate that educational institutions are being turned into centres of political activity. RSS's programme of weapon worship at Rajasthan University, intended to politicise the campus, was inappropriate," he said.
(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
