Students of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) filed a case against Congress leader, Ajay Rai at the Lanka police station and burnt the effigies of Rahul Gandhi and Ajay Rai on the university campus. Dozens of students raised slogans and said that Ajay Rai’s statement was an attempt to divert the investigation and save the accused.
The student union lodged an FIR against Rai after he falsely implicated members of ABVP in the molestation case of a woman student on campus. He said, “As far as I know, there is involvement of ABVP people in this”. After this statement, there was anger among the students and then they lodged a complaint against Rai.
A First Information Report (FIR number—449/2023) was registered against Rai on November 3 at the Lanka police station, as per which he has been booked under IPC Section 505(2).
Students of the ABVP burned the effigies of Congress State President Ajay Rai and Rahul Gandhi in the BHU campus and raised slogans. The Proctorial Board team and the police administration were present. On this matter, union president Abhay Pratap Singh said that the incident of misbehaviour and molestation of a student in BHU is very sad.
Abhay said that ABVP has stood with the students and has demanded to provide justice to the student and to improve the system related to women’s safety so that such incidents do not happen again in future. The involvement of goons nurtured by Congress in such heinous crimes is not hidden from anyone. Congress leaders are trying to suppress the matter by making such comments.
Notably, at IIT-BHU, a female student was subjected to a horrifying ordeal where she was forcibly kissed, undressed, and paraded by her assailants, who shamefully recorded the incident on campus, all while in the presence of one of the victim’s male friends. This heinous act has sparked widespread protests on campus, with students demanding improved security measures.
A formal complaint has been filed in this case, though as of now, no arrests have been made. The incident has been documented with (FIR number–445/2023), registered at the Lanka police station in the Varanasi district of Uttar Pradesh on November 2.
In response to the student’s complaint, a case has been registered at the Lanka police station in Varanasi under Sections 354 (Assault or criminal force to a woman), 504 of IPC (Punishment for criminal intimidation), and 66 of the IIT Act.
In response to the incident, students took to the campus on November 2, to voice their protest. They asserted that outsiders had been causing disturbances on the premises for a prolonged period, with female students frequently subjected to harassment. Their demands included a prohibition on outsider entry and they voiced their discontent against the director of IIT-BHU through chants and placards.
Organiser also called the investigating officer, Sahajanand, on November 3, who assured that specialised teams have been assembled to pursue the culprits. Since the victim did not provide names, efforts are underway to scrutinize CCTV footage from the vicinity and identify the individuals involved. Once the suspects are positively identified, the police will proceed with their arrests.
