DU students clash after youth tries to gatecrash festival

The police had to resort to a mild lathicharge to bring the situation under control. They have registered a case of rioting against some Ramjas College students, and a case for voluntarily causing hurt against Rana and his group.

The incident took a political colour as the Ramjas College students were backed by activists from the National Students Union of India (NSUI), while the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) members supported Rana the other group.

Today’s trouble brewed after Rana, who is an ABVP activist, took up the cause of Khalsa College student Dhiraj, who was refused entry into the Ramjas College function yesterday. Rana led a delegation to Ramjas College principal Prof Rajendra Prasad today and requested him to take punitive action against erring students from his college.

Dhiraj had complained to Rana that some Ramjas College students had beaten him up yesterday when he attempted to gatecrash into their annual function. He had also claimed that he was kept confined inside a hostel for several hours.

When Rana was meeting with the Ramjas College principal about 30 to 40 students from Ramjas College and some NSUI activists ransacked the DUSU office.

They smashed windshields of cars parked outside as well as furniture, window panes, sinks and lights inside the DUSU office. Five minutes later, all that remained were pieces of glass, furniture, torn papers and lathis.

As this group of students were leaving the DUSU office, they met Rana’s group on the way and clashed. The latter were armed with rods, chains and hockey sticks. Eyewitnesses claim that some of the students were also armed with knives.

Meanwhile, supporters of the NSUI reached the spot and attempted to politicise the incident raising anti-ABVP slogans. Some of them allegedly manhandled Ramjas College principal Prof Rajendra Prasad.

Delhi University Registrar Prof K.K. Panda told Express Newsline: “We denounce this kind of violence on campus. We have set up an inquiry committee, headed by Prof S.S. Rathore to probe the incident. We will take strict action against those found guilty.” The police have deployed additional men inside the university campus an Ramjas College.

Both the injured students, Shekhar and Siddharth, are being treated at the Hindu Rao Hospital for knife wounds.