The controversy over remarks made by Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Om Prakash Rajbhar against the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) escalated on Thursday after the student group served him with a legal notice. The notice was issued through advocates Siddharth Shankar Dubey and Animesh Upadhyay, demanding a public apology within five days.
The dispute stems from Rajbhar’s statement on September 3, in which he allegedly referred to ABVP workers as “goondas.” Gonda resident and ABVP member Adarsh Tiwari, who filed the notice, called the remark defamatory and an attack on the democratic rights of student activists. The notice also warned that failure to issue a public apology and written assurance of restraint could result in a defamation suit.
Tensions flared late Wednesday night outside the minister’s residence in Lucknow, where ABVP workers staged a demonstration. Around 9 p.m., protesters gathered, raised slogans, and burned an effigy of the minister. The protest turned disorderly when students clashed with police, attempted to scale the gates of the residence, and hurled stones, bricks, and footwear into the premises.
Law enforcement intervened to control the situation, but workers continued to demand the minister’s presence. ABVP leaders have said they will intensify their agitation if no apology is forthcoming.
