AHMEDABAD, JAN 7
Over ten people were injured when members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and its rival National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) clashed here on Tuesday during a protest against the JNU violence, police said.
The incident took place during the protest organised by NSUI, the students’ wing of the Congress, outside the office of the RSS-affiliated ABVP in the city’s Paldi area.
Police resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the crowd.
NSUI national president Neeraj Kundan condemned the incident.
The police later rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control, an official said. Both the student bodies alleged that sticks and stones were used to attack each other, and claimed more than five members each from the two sides were injured in the clash.
Gujarat NSUI general secretary Nikhil Savani sustained serious head injuries and was admitted to V S General Hospital here, a member of the Congress students’ body said.
In a video clip telecast by some local news channels, Savani, a close associate of Congress leader Hardik Patel, was seen being beaten by some people in the presence of policemen.
“The situation has been brought under control. As of now, no FIR has been lodged,” a police official said.
Violence broke out here when NSUI members reached outside the ABVP’s office to protest against the attack on students and teachers at JNU in Delhi on Sunday.
The NSUI has been alleging that ABVP members were involved in the JNU attack.
“Our protest was peaceful. However, goons from the ABVP suddenly attacked us using sticks, stones and pipes. It was a pre-planned attack in the presence of police. Over five of our members, including Savani, were injured in the attack,” another NSUI general secretary Bhavik Solanki said.
However, the ABVP alleged that NSUI members came to its office with an intention to attack the activists.
“The NSUI members came to our office waiving their flags. They then removed the flags and used its wooden sticks to attack our members,” ABVP member Naresh Desai said.
“Just like the ABVP members were attacked in JNU, the anti-social elements of NSUI attacked us in a pre-planned manner here,” he alleged, adding that more than five of their members were also injured in the incident.
In a statement, NSUI national president Neeraj Kundan condemned the incident and alleged that the “autocratic behaviour of the BJP has resulted in another similar event where the NSUI workers were brutally beaten”.
“The real face of this government has now been unveiled and is working against constitutional values. It is time that the country stands together against these fascist forces,” he said.
The Congress, on the other hand, condemned the violence and demanded strict and quick action against the perpetrators.
“A deplorable act by ABVP goons & clearly reflective of their violent tendencies. We strongly condemn this act of terror & demand swift action against the perpetrators. How can the BJP stand idly by as innocent students are brutalised? They have turned India into a war zone,” the party tweeted.
