Bengaluru: Students say BJP workers put up pro-CAA banner at college, heckled them
A video of the incident has gone viral on social media, where the students and party workers can be seen arguing over the banner.
BJP workers allegedly put up a banner reading ‘India Supports CAA’ on the Jyoti Nivas College compound wall on Wednesday. (Express photo)
Students of Jyoti Nivas College (JNC) in Koramangala, Bengaluru, have alleged that BJP workers on Wednesday forcibly put a pro-CAA banner on the college wall and heckled students who tried to stop them.
A video of the incident has gone viral on social media, where the students and party workers can be seen arguing over the banner.
According to the students, the banner read ‘India Supports CAA’, and had pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, Karnataka BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel and Lok Sabha MP Tejasvi Surya.
“BJP workers showed up at the college on Wednesday afternoon and put up a poster on the outside wall. They also tried to get us to sign petitions. When we didn’t respond, they started criticising us,” a student of JNC told Indianexpress.com.
READ | Ramachandra Guha has advice for students at Bengaluru’s 24-hour protest
In the viral video, a BJP worker can purportedly be seen saying, “You are not concerned about citizenship, you are concerned about yourself, you are not Indians.” The man further says: “You want an argument or a debate? You are a student of this college, not the owner.”
Responding to the man, a girl says, “You are not having an argument or a debate, you are shouting.”
Later the local police and the college security guards intervened and made the BJP workers remove the banner.
Watch how these BJP Goondas are abusing Students of Jyoti Nivas Girls College in Bengaluru when the students opposed them putting up a “We support CAA” poster in their college!
BJP, what gives you the right to forcibly put up posters and abuse students?
pic.twitter.com/5Mq7vw5tp6— Srivatsa (@srivatsayb) January 8, 2020
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On Thursday, police personnel were deployed at the college campus, as students held a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). BTM Layout Congress MLA Ramalinga Reddy visited the college and assured the students and management of their safety.
Speaking to indianexpress.com, Isha Pant, DCP of Bengaluru South East, said, “We have inquired about the incident but no case has been filed. If the college files a complaint, we will take up the case. Police personnel have been deployed near the college.”
.@BJP4Karnataka goons are threatening students of Jyotinivas College to support CAA.
Mr @BSYBJP,
I am strictly warning you to control hooligans from your party. Don’t subvert knowledge & institutions for your selfish motives. We won’t let Ktaka to be victim of your Hitler rule!
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) January 9, 2020
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Reacting to the incident, former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah tweeted, saying “.@BJP4Karnataka goons are threatening students of Jyotinivas College to support CAA. Mr @BSYBJP, I am strictly warning you to control hooligans from your party. Don’t subvert knowledge & institutions for your selfish motives. We won’t let Ktaka to be victim of your Hitler rule!”
Siddaramaiah further said: “Educational institutions are a source of dissemination of knowledge, critical thinking & scientific temper. While @BJP4India ideology is on weak foundations of fascism. BJP is threatened by the knowledge base of our Universities & hence they want to subvert & weaken them.”
Meanwhile, Karnataka Home Minister Basvaraj Bommai told reporters he would initiate a probe into the incident.
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