At Bhubaneswar’s Utkal University, a seminar by JNU professor Surajit Mazumdar was disrupted by student leaders on Sunday, February 13. The ABVP student leaders have stated that some Leftists from JNU were trying to spread anti-India activities on the Utkal University campus and have asked why the campus facility was being used by an organisation named ‘Citizen Forum’ on a Sunday.
Videos of the event have gone viral where ABVP leaders and some seminar organisers were seen engaged in a verbal scuffle that soon escalated into a fight.
As per reports, on Sunday, 13 February, ‘Citizen Forum’ organised a seminar with the title ‘Indian Constitution and Education System’ in the PG Council hall of Utkal University. A student leader from ABVP has stated to the media that they had gone to the seminar to listen to the professor’s talk.
“During the talk, Professor Mazumdar made many anti-India statements that made false claims regarding the current Indian political scene and India’s constitution. He even tried to stoke casteist sentiments by making incorrect claims,” the student leader stated. He added that when the ABVP tried to confront the Leftists from JNU over the inflammatory and anti-India statements being made, they were assaulted by some people present there which led to a ruckus.
Protesting the ‘anti-India’ seminar, the ABVP on Sunday evening organised a protest asking the University administration to clarify why was permission given to some private entity to hold a seminar inside the University campus on a Sunday.
Another ABVP leader, speaking to Kanak News, stated that the person who was making the anti-India statements deserved to be slapped more. He even added that the ABVP won’t tolerate anti-India activities anywhere and will keep confronting antinational elements.
Members of the ‘Citizen Forum’ have demanded the arrest of the ABVP leaders.
On Monday, a student was reportedly injured while the police tried to arrest 2 ABVP student leaders from the campus. The ABVP leaders have accused the administration and the police of bias and have stated that ignoring their complaints, the police tried to target ABVP students.