Cancellation of students’ elections in Madhav College of Ujjain led to the death of a professor, who reportedly died of cardiac arrest after being roughed up by Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activists outside the college gate today.Prof HS Sabharwal, a heart patient for the past 10 years, was pronounced dead on arrival in a hospital not far from the college that saw clashes between ABVP and National Students Union of India (NSUI). Two other lecturers were also beaten up.Sabharwal only made a formal announcement today as the college administration had announced three days ago that elections would not be held. His announcement followed a meeting with NSUI members earlier in the day.ABVP activists charged him with calling off the elections under pressure from NSUI. When he was leaving for home on his scooter, ABVP students mobbed him outside the college and roughed him up. When he collapsed, a peon accompanying him and the police personnel posted in the college for the elections took him to a nearby hospital.Ujjain SP Jaideep Prasad said a case of murder had been lodged against unknown persons while a case each of rioting was lodged against NSUI and ABVP activists. A panel of three doctors will conduct post-mortem in the presence of Sabharwal’s family members of Prof Sabharwal on Sunday. Prof Sabharwal’s son Himanshu Singh described the episode as “complete failure of law and order.’’ He said given his father’s old age he should not have been asked to do election duty. The teachers’ body has called for a strike until the guilty are arrested.
