Arvind Kumar
DURING past couple of months, various states of the country, including Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh, have been witnessing sheer display of hooliganism and rowdism in the name of organisational elections of National Student’s Union of India (NSUI) affiliated to the Congress Party. Through sheer manipulation, a state cabinet minister has foisted his own lackey Sumitra Bhullar with a long criminal record as the Uttarakhand state NSUI president. In Orissa, Utkal University students and NSUI activists attacked and vandalized Shaheed Nagar police station, and two rival NSUI student groups caused tension on the campus of the Institute of Technical Education and Research (ITER) in the city of Bhubaneswar and caused injury to many activists. In Rajasthan, MukeshBhakar also was ‘elected’ as the state NSUI president on Jan. 31, 2013 amidst widespread hooliganism in and outside the campus causing consternation among the local citizens. In the name of organisational elections, violence has been unleashed in about a dozen districts in Rajasthan since Sept. 2012 including Alwar, Jaipur, Jhunjhunu, and Chittorgarh.
Allegations and counter-allegations are still flying thick in the air in Uttarakhand amid rival groups of NSUI students,when a non-student and a hardened criminal Sumitra Bhullar was foisted on the organisation as the state president through sheer manipulation and dishonesty by a state cabinet minister Harish Chandra Durgapal. Ghanshyam Bist, a student in MBPG College, Haldwani, said the so-called state president of NSUI is currently not a student. In 2006, he was caught cheating in the examination hall and was expelled from the college. No other college in the city allowed him admission. He has ceased to be a student after this and even after being a non-student, he has been made the NSUI state president. His rival Saurabh Behar, son of a former Congress Party MLA from RudrapurTilak Raj Behar, has levelled a number of serious allegations against Bullar. Saurabha Behar though has been ‘elected’ as the state vice president.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Nainital, Dr. Sadanand Dante statedBhullar has half a dozen criminal cases registered against him in Haldwani and Nainital police stations for indulging in loot, criminal intimidation, rioting andcausing brawls. According to his history-sheet, case no. 7225/2007 was filed against him in Haldwani police station under sections 452, 504, 506 IPC, Case no. 3481/2008 in Haldwani police station under sections 147, 149 IPC, case no.408/2008 inHaldwani police station under sections 323, 504, 506, 427 and 147 IPC, case no. 19/ 2008 inNainital police station under section 341 IPC and 7 Criminal Law Act, case no. 401/ 2012 inHaldwani police station under sections 324 and 325 IPC and case no. 113/ 2012 inHaldwani police station under sections 323, 504 and 506 IPC. SSP Dr. Dante saidBhullar has been causing serious disturbances in the college campus regularly. On Dec. 12, 2012the college authorities filed a criminal case against Bhullar for causing serious disturbances in running classes, and impeding the government works when Bhullar resorted to stone-pelting on the police contingent when it reached the spot to enforce law and order.
In 2007, Bhullar attacked a wine shop owned by Vijay Jaiswal at railway road in Haldwani in the company of other outlaws and looted several cartons containing wine bottles and Rs.55, 000 in cash from the shop’s cash box. Later, the shop owner Vijay Jaiswal alleged thatBhullar made threatening phone calls asking him to withdraw the criminal case filed against him with the police.
In Jaipur, MukeshBhakar was declared ‘elected’as the state NSUI president amid sheer manipulation on Jan. 31, 2013. However, next day the displeased rival group of NSUI students clashed with MuksehBhakar group causing injuries to more than a dozen students from both the sides. During the counting of votes earlier, students belonging to the rival groups started gathering since afternoon outside the NSUI office at Bani Park causing traffic jam on the main road. By evening, roads connecting collectorate circle became chocked with the students who also indulged in sloganeering and throwing of pamphlets on the commuters. The city police had to use force in order to disperse the unruly mob and remove traffic jam from the arterial road. During the membership drive started since Sept. 2012, violent clashes has been taking place in more than a dozen districts of Rajasthan including Alwar, Chittorgarh, Jaipur and Jhunjhunu. These organisational elections were conducted by Congress Party’s Foundation for Advanced Management of Elections mainly in the Congress party headquarters.
In Bhubaneswar, capital city of Orissa, two rival groups of NSUI students sparked off tension on the Utkal University campus, who also vandalized ShaheedNagar police station on Feb.9, 2013. On the day, hundreds of students gheraoed Shaheed Nagar police station demanding arrest of two second year law students who had allegedly attacked a third year law student inside the police station. Earlier, a dozen second year law students, including four girls, had come to the police station to lodge an FIR against their seniors accusing them of hurling abuses and causing threats during the NSUI membership drive. After this a spate of allegations and counter-allegations from both sides emanated and when police attempted to quell the unruly mob of students, some unidentified members of the crowd pelted stones at the police station smashing windowpanes. Following this DCP Nitinjeet Singh lodged a case of vandalizing the police station, and arrested a few culprits. Besides, police sources claim that at least six students were injured in group clashes in three separate incidents whenthe NSUI leaders attempted to force their members to vote in support of their candidates, which led to violence in the Institute of Technical Education and Research (ITER) and Krupajal Engineering College in Bhubaneswar. Later, Chinmay Sahoo was declared elected as the Orissa state NSUI president.
In Indore, more than one hundred NSUI rowdies encircled and pelted stones at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) office in Rambagh area at about 1.15 am. on Jan. 9, 2013 by way of lodging their protest against a statement made by Sarsanghachalak Param Poojaniya Shri Mohan Bhagwat in regard to rapes in rural India.SP West Indore Anil Singh Kushwaha later said, “Seven NSUI rowdies had been arrested in connection with the attack on the RSS office and causing damages.” The NSUI students allegedly damaged window panes, garden pots and other properties in the RSS office. According to the police report, a worker also was injured in the attack. In a bizarre incident, the NSUI activists encircled and entered the RSS office ‘Archana’ at Rambagh in Indore at about 1.15 a.m. Besides causing extensive damages to the office property, they also burnt effigies of Sarsanghachalak Param Poojaneeya Shri Mohan Bhagwat and Madhya Pradesh Minister Kailash Vijayvarghiya over their remarks about women.
Still, all these criminals and rowdies are being protected and promoted unabashedly by many senior Congress politicians to promote their partisan politics and to intimidate voters during elections.
