Protest over SRMU Degree: CM Yogi Adityanath orders probe, CO removed after police lathicharge students

A number of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) workers, including SRMU students, were involved in the protest that escalated into a clash with police. Later, the ABVP released a list of students who it claimed were injured in the lathicharge, along with video clips purportedly showing police chasing students and beating them up with canes.

Inspector General (Ayodhya range), Praveen Kumar, has been asked to investigate the lathicharge on students. However, the police denied having used “excessive” force.

“Some people from the university and students clashed, which worsened the situation. Injured persons are undergoing treatment. No written complaint has been received yet. Video footage is being examined,” Superintendent of Police Arpit Vijayvargiya told PTI.

Additional SP (North) Vikas Chandra Tripathi said police had only separated the groups. “The situation is now peaceful,” he added. The university has denied the allegations, insisting its law programme is fully recognised.

Registrar Prof Neerja Jindal also said the administration had “no role in the clash” and accused some people of spreading “misinformation” about the BCI’s recognition of the law course.

“The Bar Council of India has uploaded approval documents for 2022-23 on its website. The university has also paid affiliation fees till 2027,” she said, adding that a sworn affidavit was issued to assure students about the validity of their degrees.

According to ABVP members, students, backed by the ABVP, were protesting on the SRMU campus on Monday, mainly raising concerns over the recognition of the LLB degree at the institute along with alleged “arbitrary fee hike” in the name of “additional charges and facilities.”

“Students and our representatives were demanding proper dialogue with SRMU Vice-Chancellor Vikas Mishra, primarily with regard to the recognition of LLB degree at the university for which admissions were being done, but the authorities have failed to provide details about the affiliation of the law programme with the Bar Council of India, jeopardising the students’ future,” said  Abhinav Mishra, National Executive council member of ABVP.

Mishra added, “However, instead of meeting the students, the authorities chose to disperse the students, which later resulted in a lathicharge by the police leaving several students  injured.”

ABVP Awadh State Secretary, Pushpendra Bajpai, emphasised that the protest would continue “until the Vice-Chancellor himself comes forward to speak with the students, the “expelled” students are reinstated. – WITH PTI