SFI demands action against ABVP workers

Himachal Pradesh: The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) unit at Himachal Pradesh University has demanded immediate disciplinary action against activists of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) who are accused of attacking and injuring SFI activists during a clash between the two student organisations a few days ago. A delegation of SFI met Pro-Vice Chancellor Rajinder Verma on Saturday and submitted a memorandum to the VC through the Pro-VC regarding their demand. SFI Campus President Ankush Rana said that on March 11, when SFI activists were having breakfast behind the administrative block of the university, ABVP activists attacked them with sharp-edged weapons without any provocation. The brutal attack resulted in five students being seriously injured, one of whom is still hospitalised.

“It is also important to note that these are the same activists who were involved in stone-pelting on the Ram Krishna Mission Ashram a few months ago and were responsible for inciting communal tension during the Sanjauli mosque dispute in Shimla,” he claimed. Rana said, “Despite three days having passed since this brutal attack, the university administration has not taken any disciplinary action against these activists. We demand the Vice Chancellor to take immediate and strict disciplinary action against these anti-social persons, so that the injured get justice and the academic and student-friendly atmosphere of the university can be restored.” He further said that the SFI strongly condemns the violence being perpetrated by organisations like the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and ABVP across the country. He said, “If the university administration does not take immediate action against all the accused involved in the incident, the SFI will organise the student community and launch a big movement against the careless attitude of the administration, for which the university administration will be solely responsible.” ABVP accuses police of taking unilateral action Several ABVP activists on Saturday protested across the state against the violence between ABVP and SFI at Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) and accused the police of taking unilateral action against ABVP activists. During the protest organised outside the DC office in Shimla, ABVP State Secretary Nancy Atal said that police is taking action only against ABVP activists while SFI activists are roaming freely in the university campus. She said that SFI activists are passing inappropriate comments against women activists of ABVP. She said that SFI is an anti-national student organisation and its activists have no other work in the university except passing inappropriate comments on women activists of other student organisations.