Day after stone-pelting,AU student leaders lock up chief proctor

The leaders — Ajeet Yadav and Avinash Dubey — have been challenging their rustication in connection with the February 2 incident,in which the personal assistant of the V-C and the security supervisor were assaulted. On Friday,they and their supporters had pelted stones at the V-C office after their alleged bid of self-immolation was prevented.

Chief Proctor Prof Mata Amber Tiwari said,“I had reached my office at 11 am. Around 1 pm,a group of students came and locked my office from outside. Since then,I have been in my office.” “Many of the officials and staff personnel who were also locked managed to get out using alternative exit routes. But there is no exit route in my office. Even if there was one,I would not leave. I would neither request the students to open the locks,nor the administration to break it.” He added that his staff and a security supervisor were with him.

However,the chief proctor blamed the police for not reacting quickly to the situation even though the university administration had requested them to take control of the situation since Friday. “They have been telling me that they can’t come,” he alleged.

The police have vehemently denied the charge.

Superintendent of Police (City),Shailesh Yadav,said,“We are outside the Proctor’s office and trying to sort out the matter. It is not fair to say that we are not doing our job. But we also have other tasks to be taken care of.”

The student leaders – Ajeet and Avinash – were rusticated on February 6,along with the Allahabad University Students’ Union (AUSU) president Dinesh Singh Yadav. Another student,Imran Ansari,had been rusticated in connection with the February 17 incident in which the V-C was allegedly manhandled. He is said to be on a fast-unto-death for three days demanding that his rustication be revoked.