VARANASI: Police today averted a possible clash between ABVP activists and JNU leaders who were demanding revocation of suspension of over half a dozen of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) students here.
The tension between both the groups was triggered when BHU students, along with the students of JNU, held a 'Yuva Chatra Sammelan' in the varsity campus to press for several demands.
ABVP supporters, including some BHU students, shouted slogans against the JNU students' union leaders terming them 'deshdrohi' (anti-national) and asked them to go back.
Fearing a clash between them, police intervened and stopped their event midway.
A group of BHU students along with the suspended students had organised a small gathering to demand the cyber library be kept open round the clock and suspension of over half a dozen students, for sitting on a hunger strike demanding the same, be revoked.
JNU students' union leaders Shehla Rashid, Rama Naga, Pradeep Narwal among others were also present at the event and attacked the BHU Vice Chancellor, accusing him of "promoting the ideology of RSS and suppressing those who protested".
The JNU students' union leaders said that BHU students were protesting on a genuine issue and claimed they were wrongly suspended.
Shehla Rashid and Rama Naga said, "Were the BHU students too 'deshdrohi', whom the VC suspended for protesting on a genuine issue. We JNU students were termed as 'deshdrohi' as we were blamed of raising anti-national slogans but were these BHU students involved in any anti-national activities too?"
They alleged that ABVP was trying to suppress the voice of its rival students wings through violence and threats.
They alleged that as the VC himself has been an active RSS member, it was hard for the rival groups to speak on genuine issues.
One of the suspended students said, "The VC curtailed the timing of the library as students late at night surf porn websites, but we want to ask the VC that if we wanted to do that can't we have that access in our mobile phones?"
Students' union leaders from other universities across the country were also present at the event in support of these BHU students.