Judicial probe ordered into BHU violence

Lucknow:  The Uttar Pradesh government today ordered a judicial inquiry into the violence on the campus of the Banaras Hindu University. A number of students, including women, and two journalists were injured in a lathicharge by the police in BHU where a protest on Saturday night against an alleged eve- teasing incident turned violent.

“A judicial inquiry has been ordered into the incidents,” UP government spokesperson and cabinet minister Srikant Sharma said here. He was speaking to mediapersons after a meeting of the state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Sharma, however, did not elaborate as to whether the probe would be conducted by a retired or sitting judge.

The violence erupted after some students, protesting against the incident on Thursday, wanted to meet the varsity’s vice-chancellor at his residence. As opposition parties targeted the BJP over the police action on the campus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah yesterday spoke to the chief minister and asked him to address the issue at the earliest.

Sharma said the government wanted that there should be communication with the students by the local administration, vice chancellor and other university officials. Sharma accused the opposition parties of trying to vitiate the academic atmosphere. “If they wish to do politics, they should do it with us and not with students. They should keep away from holding agitations in campuses,” he said.

On lathicharge on girl students sitting on dharna against the alleged eve-teasting on the campus, he said, “We are identifying those ‘outsiders’ who are using the students to do politics and also identifying those who indulged in lathicharge.” He said the government has asked the local administration to strengthen the security on the campus. “It has been decided to install CCTV on the campus,” he added.