The incident of police baton-charging students at Shriramswaroop Memorial University (SRMU) in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, has now escalated. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken serious cognizance of this incident and taken strict action.
Barabanki: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken cognizance of the baton-charging incident on students at Shriramswaroop University in Barabanki, adjacent to Uttar Pradesh's capital Lucknow. The Chief Minister has expressed displeasure over this action against the students and has issued orders for the immediate suspension of the CO. Additionally, the Chief Minister has directed the Divisional Commissioner of Ayodhya to investigate the validity of the degrees of the concerned college. He has also ordered IG Ayodhya Praveen Kumar to conduct a detailed investigation into the incident with the students and submit a report.
How the matter began?
On September 1, university students staged a protest. The students alleged that they were admitted to a Law course that is not recognized by the Bar Council of India (BCI). The students stated that their future has been put at risk. During the protest, the situation worsened, and the students clashed with the police. Meanwhile, the police resorted to a lathi-charge to control the crowd. Several students were injured in the incident and were admitted to the hospital.
Administration's Action
CO City Harshith Chauhan has been suspended. Nagar Kotwal Ram Kishun Rana, Chowki Incharge Gajendra Singh, and all police personnel from the Gadiya outpost have been line-attached. The Chief Minister has ordered IG Ayodhya to conduct an in-depth investigation into the incident. Furthermore, the Divisional Commissioner has been instructed to investigate the validity of the university's degrees.
Superintendent of Police Arpit Vijayvargiya stated that the situation escalated due to a dispute between some students and the university management. The police claim that the students vandalized a nearby police outpost and the university premises, after which mild force had to be used to control the crowd. Additional Superintendent of Police (North) Vikas Chandra Tripathi reported that the situation is currently peaceful.
Allegations by Students and Organizations
The protesting students claim they were deceived by being admitted to an unrecognized course. They allege that the police brutally beat them. The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) also expressed b disapproval of this incident. ABVP office bearer Akash Shukla alleged that the police mercilessly beat students who were demanding their rights. Several injured students were admitted to Mayo Hospital and the District Hospital.
ABVP Avadh Province Secretary Pushpendra Bajpai stated that the protest will continue until the university's Vice-Chancellor directly communicates with the students and a clear status regarding the recognition of the law degree is provided. He said, "We will not tolerate any injustice against student interests."
The university's Registrar, Prof. Neerja Jindal, has refuted the students' allegations. She stated that the Bar Council of India has approved SRMU's law course for the year 2022-23, and documentation for this is available on the BCI's official website. The university has also paid the affiliation fee until 2027.
