Hundreds of students and alumni belonging to the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in Varanasi on Monday organised a solidarity march under the banner of ‘Hum BHU ke Log’ (We people of BHU) for the unity of the University campus and against the earlier proposal to build a wall around the IIT BHU following a case of sexual harassment in the campus. The administration later withdrew the proposal.
“Student community held a peaceful solidarity march for the unity of the campus. Earlier, the University proposed to build a wall between the BHU and IIT (BHU) campus, which was resisted by students, forcing the administration to withdraw it,” said Rajesh, an activist of All India Students Association (AISA).
“In front of this spirit of thousands of students, senior alumni, student union officers, the BHU administration, and the commissioner had to withdraw their Tughlaqi decree. This is a warning to those people who want to divide the University built after the long struggles of Kashi Naresh (King) Prabhu Narayan Singh, Darbhanga Maharaj Rameshwar Singh and Bharat Ratna Madan Mohan Malviya. As long as there is even a drop of blood in the veins of the great sons of Mahamana, they are and will remain ready to make every effort to maintain the integrity of the university,” said BHU Voice, a group named after the BHU, in a statement.
The BHU episode started on November 1, when a female student studying at IIT (BHU) was allegedly stripped down and molested on the campus by three unidentified men on a motorbike.
Hundreds of students on November 2, held a protest near the Rajputana Hostel demanding prompt action. U.P. police registered an FIR under Section 354, assault or use of criminal force with the intent to outrage a woman’s modesty of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and under provisions of the Information Technology (IT) Act, at the Varanasi’s Lanka police station.
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