Observers are of the firm view that police taking no action against the errant students who had clashed among themselves in the past are responsible for the fresh incidents of lawlessness happening in the college campus. The National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Students Federation of India (SFI), the the student affiliates of the Congress, BJP and the CPI-M, respectively, the activists clash often, vitiating the academic ambience of the college. Police connivance is also allegedly compounding matters.
The observers say that police are reluctant to take actions against NSUI and ABVP activists as the two parties-Congress and BJP-they associated with take their turns to rule the State.
They also say that police are lenient towards the group that owes its allegiance to the ruling party. “They charge baton on the group that is affiliated with the Opposition party. However, it is also true that pressure is put on the cops whenever the latter take action against the student group affiliated with the ruling party. Even the Opposition parties do not lag far behind on this matter,” one of the observers said.
A police officer said that the ruling party dictates terms to police when it comes to taking action against the errant students. “The Opposition also does the same. And the parties whether ruling or in the Opposition are seldom impartial,” he said.
Things remaining so with police left in awe or under pressure, incidents of politically affiliated students going to clash among themselves have turned a normal thing for DAV (PG) College which has been witnessing campus violence for the past few months.
The list of police fawning on the erring students is long. Scuffle occurred among the students belonging to all the three groups active in the campus on March 12- the last day of students’ union week. Police had to use force to disperse the students. Three student groups registered FIRs and crossed FIRs in Dalanwala Police Station on March 12. But no action followed. More recently, in retaliation of what happened at JNU, ABVP-affiliated students of DAV (PG) College vandalized the SFI’s office located at Karanpur on February 11.
Devendra Singh Rawal, SFI’s State secretary had registered a complaint in Dalanwala police station and a case under section 427 of IPC was registered agaisnt three ABVP members- Paras Goyal, Shubham Samilti and Kapil Sharma. No action was, however, taken. Moreover, SFI leaders had said that they were not happy with the section the ABVP activists had been booked under.
“This is what is happening to the detriment of the intersts of the students who are apolitical and focused on studies. The mindsets of the political parties and police should change to restore the congenial ambience to the institutions plauged by campus violence,” said an observer.