On the night of 25th December, a huge ruckus broke out between some students and the Proctorial Board at Banaras Hindu University (BHU). According to the reports, some students associated with Bhagat Singh Chhatra Morcha were charged with attempting to burn a copy of the scripture.
The following day, the Lankan police filed a case for assaulting security guards, provoking religious sentiments and trying to burn Manusmriti on the BHU campus. 10 students were apprehended earlier while 3 were taken into custody later. All 13 pupils including three females arrested were produced in court and sent to jail under judicial custody. A team of Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) also reached the Lanka police station to interrogate the accused to investigate their connection to the urban Naxalites.
The offenders have been identified as BA (Hons) student Mukesh Kumar, Sandeep Jaiswal, Amar Sharma, Laxman Kumar, Arvind, Shubham Kumar, Avinash, Adarsh, MA (Hindi) Arvind Pal, Research student (Philosophy) Anupam Kumar, MSc (Psychology) Ipshita Agarwal, MA (Sociology) Siddi Tiwari, BA (Hons) Katyayani B. Reddy. Ipshita Bhagat Singh is the Joint Secretary of Chhatra Morcha. According to Lanka Police, all the culprits are associated with Bhagat Singh Chhatra Morch.
BHU Chief Proctor Prof. SP Singh submitted a complaint to the Lanka police station on 25th December. He informed the police that the students were causing a disturbance as part of their prearranged conspiracy to stir up religious feelings and try to set fire to the Manusmriti at the campus’s Arts Faculty intersection. The Proctorial Board members attempted to disperse the crowd and calm everyone down. The perpetrators attacked the security guards and vandalized the premises, disrupting government work. The scuffle caused serious injuries to two female security guards.
Lanka police station Inspector Sivakant Mishra informed that a complaint letter was received from the Chief Proctor Office of BHU on the night of 25th December. It was reported that the students were causing unrest intending to burn the Manusmriti and incite religious sentiments at the BHU campus. The university’s security administration tried to dissuade and remove them. However, the students attacked security guards, damaged property and interfered with government activities which resulted in inflicting wounds. The two injured female personnel are being treated at the BHU trauma center. Police arrived there after receiving the information and arrested the students.
ATS officials unveiled that the activities of some of the accused students are under suspicion. A girl had already been interrogated by a National Investigation Agency (NIA) team. The students were asked to explain the motive behind their actions. Meanwhile, the issue of burning Manusmriti has also surfaced in Sitamarhi, Bihar. The police have been called upon to take action in this regard. Information about the same has been provided by Sitamarhi Police on X (previously Twitter).
सीतामढ़ी पुलिस के ट्विटर हैंडल एवं इंस्टाग्राम हैंडल पर वायरल खबर के संबंध में…. pic.twitter.com/8fWuDcI9rn
— SITAMARHI POLICE (@SitamarhiPolice) December 26, 2024
“A person named Jai Sarraf, who is allegedly a resident of Sitamarhi district, is posting a video of burning Hindu scripture Manusmriti on social media. It could vitiate the atmosphere. The Superintendent of Police (Sitamarhi) has taken note of the information and instructed the district’s multiple police stations to confirm it,” the police stated.