PU: Nine students hurt as police try to remove fasting SFI members
The policemen beat up students with batons and rifle butts.
3 min read
Nine students were arrested on charges of rioting, assault, deterring a public servant from duty, and molestation. (Picture for representational purpose only)
At least nine students and some bystanders were injured when the police on Tuesday canecharged members of the Students’ Federation of India who had been sitting on a dharna for the last 25 days in protest against the Panjab University proposal ro raise various fees.
The police swung into action when the students physically resisted attempts to remove Ramninder Singh, a fasting student, to hospital on the request of the PU authorities. A stone was also thrown, injuring a policeman.
The policemen beat up students with batons and rifle butts. Nine students were arrested on charges of rioting, assault, deterring a public servant from duty, and molestation.
The arrested students were Ramninder Singh, Damanpreet Singh, Sahil Barthla, Suchinder Pal Singh, Dharminder Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Ramanpreet Singh, Gurpreet Singh and Gurpreet.
Calling the police action unjustified, leaders of NSUI, SOPU and PUSU expressed their support for the arrested students. SOPU president Amninder Singh said, “We are completely against such an action. If the police do not release the students soon, we will all come together to protest.”
However, Malkeet Singh, SHO of Sector 11 police station, said that the students attacked policemen and did not spare even women officers.
“Their uniforms were torn and students verbally abused them. So many officers have suffered injuries. The students had been misbehaving with the police for the last two days. Today when we asked them calmly to send Ramninder to hospital, they created a ruckus,” the SHO said.
Senior Superintendent of Police Sukhchain Singh Gill said, “Our officers have not done anything wrong. The students were at fault. They molested our women officials and tore their uniforms. It was a defensive action by the police. I have marked an inquiry to DSP Kalia and action will be taken on his report, if necessary.”
Among those who got beaten up was Rajan Shahi, a student of economics. He said he was passing by the V-C office when the incident happened and was beaten up by the police. He lodged a complaint with the police.
“We are verifying his complaint,” the SHO said.
Dean Student Welfare Navdeep Goyal blamed the students, saying, “We tried to discuss the matter with the students and told them that the rollback of fee hike was impossible. The university’s expenditure and deficit has increased incredibly.”
He alleged that the students “misbehaved, attempted to stop the V-C’s car when he was leaving and threw stones at his vehicle”.
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