The ongoing protests against the BHU administration for victim-shaming a first-year student turned violent on Saturday night as police conducted lathicharge in the campus injuring several female students. At least four girls were reported to have suffered head injuries in the clashes that ensued.
As demonstrations against the government and police intensify for conducting lathicharge on female students of Banaras Hindu University (BHU), the administration on Monday registered FIR against 1,000 BHU students in Lanka police station for arson.
Meanwhile, Station Officer (SO) of Lanka police station Rajiv Singh, Circle Officer (CO) Belapur Nivesh Katiyar and three Additional City Magistrate Manoj Kumar Singh, Sushil Kumar Gaund and Jagdamma Prasad Singh have been removed prima facie for executing the charge.
The removal comes just 24 hours after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath sought a report from Varanasi Divisional Commissioner Nitin Gokarn over the issue. Meanwhile, Chief Secretary Rajiv Kumar, too, directed Gokarn and ADG (Varanasi Zone) Vishwajit Mahapatra to submit a joint report.
The governor described the incident as sad.
The chief minister yesterday asked the divisional commissioner to submit details about the incident. The police action against the students on the university campus has been criticized by various parties, including the Congress and the Samwajwadi Party.
Samajwadi Party workers held a sit-in in Varanasi and slogans were raised against the prime minister. Over 200 Samajwadi Party activists were detained while they were going to meet the injured students as well as protesting students.
Samajwadi Party's state spokesperson Manoj Rai Dhoopchandi said a special committee comprising senior party leaders was heading to BHU to meet the injured students and also enquire about the incident from protesting students when the police detained them.
"Unfortunately, the police stopped us from going to BHU, so we sat on dharna at the Singhdwar (in front of BHU maingate)," he said. Social activist Teesta Setalvad also arrived in the city to attend a programme but was detained by the police.
In the aftermath of the violence, the district administration has declared holidays from today till October 2 in all colleges and universities in Varanasi. The BHU had earlier announced that the holidays would start from September 28.
The alleged eve-teasing incident had occurred on last Thursday night after which the students started a protest near the university's main gate. A woman student of the Arts Faculty was allegedly harassed by three motorcycle-borne men inside the campus while she was returning to her hostel.
According to the complainant, the men abused her and fled when she resisted their attempts. The woman alleged that security guards, about 100 metres from where the incident happened, did nothing to stop them.
