Delhi University had its share of poll-time skirmishes when a group of students, led by DUSU joint secretary Raju Rawat on Monday, vandalised the North Campus office of the director, South Campus, Professor Umesh Rai, and also manhandled the senior official. Rawat belongs to ABVP, which is the student wing of BJP that recently won the DU elections.
According to sources, the incident took place on Monday morning when the Rai was at his North Campus office. Around six to seven Delhi University students, along with Rawat, reached Rai’s office demanding an end to the varsity’s flagship four-year-undergraduate-programme (FYUP). The director allegedly denied giving in to their demand that in turn annoyed them.
In the wake of apparent rejection of their proposal, the group entered a heated argument with the director and another official present at the site during the incident. The verbal altercation soon tuned offensive after Rawat allegedly said, ‘The issue of FYUP is already there in the BJP manifesto which was
released on Monday.’
Rawat also threatened that when the Narendra Modi becomes the prime minister of India, FYUP would be automatically removed without needing permission from current university authorities, indicating Rai and other officials, sources said.
Speaking to Millennium Post, a student on condition of anonymity said, ‘When Rawat threatened the director of the upcoming general elections result, the director used offensive terms to describe Modi : A tea seller and a person responsible for the Gujarat riots has no right to decide the syllabus of Delhi University.’
This particular statement against Modi, sources said, had provoked the group to vandalise the office. Also, they allegedly smeared the face of the director with ink. After the incident, all of them managed to escape from the spot, while, as a result of the scuffle, Rai received minor injuries.
A senior police official said, ‘A complaint has been received on the basis of which an FIR has been lodged under appropriate sections of the Indian Penal Code.’ Rawat is said to be absconding. He has a history of violence and vandalism and had been earlier involved in roughing up a deputy registrar and section officer in the finance department.