Campus violence broke out at DAV (PG) College on Wednesday as students from ABVP and NSUI fought each other with swords and batons. Police resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the violent students. Four students—all from ABVP—Paras, Sameer, Kapil and Atul—were reportedly injured during the lathicharge. All of them were admitted at the Doon Hospital.
However, no complaint had been registered by any of the groups concerned in the Dalanwala police station till the time of the story being filed. However, sources said that both the groups would lodge separate FIRs by late Wednesday evening.
A large number of students were in the college during the violence as they went to appear in the examination. This aside, students and teachers of various colleges and universities, in large number too, were there as they attended a national seminar on ‘India an emerging power: continuity and change in foreign policy.’
Tension prevailed in the college since the morning. Tipped by intelligence reports of the possibility of scuffle breaking out over an earlier clash held on March 12, the administration had deployed adequate police forces in the campus. At around 12.30 pm, ABVP activists allegedly gathered, armed with bamboo sticks and swords, anticipating attacks from NSUI members. Some students who were appearing in their practical examination were found coming out with panic writ large on their faces.
Police sources said that a major incident had been averted with the police intervening in the nick of time. The activists of NSUI and ABVP, both armed with bamboo sticks and swords, were facing one another to retaliate in view of the previous clash that had occurred in the campus on the last day of the students’ union week on March 12.
Police said they had resorted to mild lathi charge. Police post in-charge Satendra said that they had controlled the situation. “Things seemed grave. We restored calm by our well-timed intervention,” he added.
DAV (PG) College principal Rakesh Verma, however, claimed that the scuffle had occurred outside the campus. “Our college has nothing to do with the scuffle. Anti- social elements might have been involved in it,” he said, adding that the violence had not affected the national seminar. “Practical examinations of various departments like Chemistry, Geography, Physics and others were held peacefully too. However, I would seek additional forces from the Dehradun SSP Dadanand Date for Thursday to maintain peace in the campus,” he added.