Nagpur: Nearly two days after the Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University (MGIHU) accused a left-wing group of creating unrest on its campus in Wardha, The All India Students Federation (AISF) Maharashtra State Council has come out in full support of the students protesting openly on Saturday.
In the press conference held in Wardha on Thursday after the clash between the students on 31 March, vice-chancellor Rajneesh Shukla did not even name any particular group. And the protesting students also said that the movement started by PhD scholar Rajneesh Kumar Ambedkar was apolitical, However, students from different groups were also supporting him.
Ambedkar himself is also a member of the Ambedkar Students Forum, but he has not used its banner at the protest site at all.
AISF Maharashtra state president Viraaj Devang has also told TOI that members of his organization, as well as other student groups, were present with Ambedkar all the time during his protest. “All India Students’ Federation campus president Chandan Saroj and member Jatin Chaudhary intervened to pacify the mob. But they were falsely implicated by the university’s inquiry committee. Both our cadres are students of MGIHU. His aim was peace but he is being made a villain,” they said.
Various student organizations are coming together on the campus
Dewang said the students have become active on the campus during the last six months. “Various student organizations are coming together on the campus to raise their issues. Saroj is our old cadre but we did not have any official committee on campus. ABVP is in a loss as it is divided into two factions,” they said.
State President of All India Students’ Federation while addressing a press conference at Parwana Bhawan, Nagpur on Saturday said, “On March 31, a mob chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ attacked students of All India Students’ Federation and other organizations, who were protesting peacefully demanding evaluation of Ambedkar’s PhD thesis. The mob was clearly instigated by the administration to end the students’ agitation.”
He has also alleged that five students were injured in the fight. “The MGIHU administration falsely accused Saroj and other student activists, including Chaudhary, of creating instability within the campus despite efforts to ensure the safety of the students,” they said.
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