On the 63rd Mahaparinirban Diwas of Dr BR Ambedkar, members of various organisations expressed concern over rising atrocities on JNU students and held a meeting in front of the Kalahandi district Collectorate hre on Friday.
The executive members submitted a memorandum having a seven-point charter of demands to Collector Parag Harshad Gavali addressed to the President of India.
The speakers alleged while JNU students were on a peaceful rally, police lathicharged on them following Government instruction.
State coordinator of SC,ST, OBC and Religious Minorities Sangram Samiti, Kalahandi, Satyabadi Naik alleged that police attacked the students by violating Article 19 which guarantees freedom of speech and freedom to assemble peacefully without arms.
“None of the students of JNU was holding any arms; rather they were voicing concerns against the fee hike but police brutally lathicharged on them,” he said.
Protesting against the police excesses, advocate Chhabilal Nial said if the Government attitude would remain the same on Bahujan Samaj, then the purpose of Article 21 A and 41 (Right to Education), Article 45 (The Right to Free and Compulsory Education) and Article 46 (The promotion of education and economic interest) would remain meaningless.
The memorandum demanded that any students' rally, public procession and grievance petition be addressed in a positive way. Besides, they demanded allotment of shop complex to the SC, ST and OBC and other sops.
Members of BSP BAMCEF, the Sambidhan Sachetan Abhijan, the AIMBSCS the DEMOCRATIC, the Dr BR Ambedkar Foundation for Socioeconomic and Cultural Development also spoke.