Front Page   

Law college students target BSP leader

CHENNAI: A group of students of the Dr. Ambedkar Government Law College on Saturday attempted to attack a Bahujan Samaj Party functionary near the General Hospital. Police personnel stationed there intervened and escorted him to safety.

BSP leader Rajappa of Pallavaram was on his way to see a friend admitted to the hospital, when the students, seeing the party flag on his vehicle, surrounded him. The police team sensed trouble and acted fast.

Irked by the police providing security to the BSP leader, the students staged a road blockade in front of the hospital and stoned a Metropolitan Transport Corporation bus. Two passengers were injured. Traffic was disrupted for a while. Twenty-three students were arrested. They were released in the evening.

“The police acted in time to rescue Mr. Rajappa from a possible attack. The students were taken into custody for blocking traffic and damaging a State-owned bus,” Commissioner of Police K. Radhakrishnan told The Hindu.A team of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, led by Director (Economic and Social Development Wing) V.K. Rathi, arrived here from New Delhi on Saturday. The team went to Government Royapettah Hospital and recorded a statement from Chithirai Selvan, a Dalit student injured in the recent clash between students, police sources said.

BSP State secretary Selva Perunthagai and others representing the Federation of Dalit Organisations met the Commissioner of Police and submitted a petition, seeking a fair investigation into Wednesday’s clash. They said a group of Caste Hindu students had attacked Dalit students, who objected to the printing of provocative handbills, on the college campus. They demanded registration of a case under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1989, against those who attacked the Dalit students.

The special teams formed to round up those involved in the clash arrested R. Raja (18) at Kurunjipadi in Cuddalore district and C. Sivakadiravan (23) in Madurai and Premnath (20) in Thanjavur. They had allegedly attacked some students during the clash.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

G-20 leaders prepare road map to reshape financial system
LTTE’s sea base captured
Purohit had 60 kg of RDX, says ATS
Indian-American CEO killed in U.S. shooting
RBI unveils a slew of measures to propel economy
Exporters get relief to tide over crisis
G20 cannot solve global crisis: Karat
It won’t be a cakewalk for the Jogi couple
First woman four-star General in U.S.
Djokovic takes on Davydenko in final
Say ‘hello’ to your computer!
Yuvraj Singh waits for a recall
Mobile ARM reaches out to popular Ubuntu
Law college students target BSP leader
Several families rendered homeless
Indo-Soviet bridges, through books
Nordic toppers in gender scores
U.S. priest facing ouster to appeal
Khai Muk weakens, but threat remains
Parents of child labourers too were so in their childhood, says study
Centres to extend financial advice
Makwana floats party
No reduction in airfares now
MNS chief held, released on bail
Thaksin Shinawatra divorces wife
Y.V. Reddy in U.N. panel of experts

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu