Police had to intervene as a tussle broke out on the Allahabad University campus between the students’ union president and ABVP leaders after the arrival of journalist Siddharth Varadarajan for a seminar on Wednesday. Varadarajan was invited as the chief guest at a seminar on ‘Democracy, media and freedom of expression’, organised by Allahabad University Students’ Union (AUSU) chief Richa Singh. The ABVP leaders, who hold other significant posts in the union, had sat on hunger strike on Tuesday outside the residence of Vice-Chancellor R L Hangloo, demanding cancellation of the seminar. ABVP leaders had described Varadarajan as a “controversial man” with a “communal mindset”. On Wednesday evening, the ABVP leaders gathered outside the vice-chancellor’s office, where Varadarajan was present along with Richa and her supporters. The police were called, and they escorted Varadarajan and Richa out of the campus, SHO of Colonelganj police station Sidharth Tomar told The Indian Express. “We had planned to paint the faces of Varadarajan and the event organisers and throw shoes and eggs at them. But we decided against it because a physical attack would have given them more publicity. We gheroed the V-C’s office,” said students’ union vice-president and ABVP leader Vikrant Singh. Vikrant also said that they called off the hunger strike Tuesday evening after the university administration met their demand and cancelled permission for holding the seminar in the varsity’s Senate Hall. Richa alleged that the ABVP leaders had gathered to attack her and Varadarajan. She claimed that when the AU administration cancelled permission for the seminar in Senate Hall, she decided to organise it in the students’ union building. “But ABVP members locked the building this morning and did not let us enter. While we moved to another place outside the campus, they organised a religious discourse in the union building,” she said. Vikrant, however, said, “The union building was never locked. This morning we organised a conference there. Former AU student and preacher Shantanuji addressed a gathering on nationalist issues.” Richa said that she, Varadarajan and other students took out a march and met the V-C in his office in the evening. “But ABVP leaders and supporters gheroed the office. They wanted to physically attack us. Police were called,” she alleged. AU spokesperson Dr K N Uttam, however, said that permission for the event in Senate Hall was cancelled fearing a clash between students. The ABVP members’ event in the union building was pre-planned, he added. Uttam denied Richa’s allegation that the university cancelled permission for the seminar under ABVP pressure. “The V-C had earlier given permission for the event and was also ready to attend the programme. But permission was cancelled to ensure law and order on campus,” he added.
