The SRFTI Student Union in a statement admitted that it was them who went to the auditorium to protest over the RSS-affiliated body organising a program without their permission and created ruckus.
The SFI members claimed that the ABGP members raised ‘provocative’ slogans at SRFTI, while the ABGP members said that the SFI-affiliated individuals tore down posters, disrupted the programme and assaulted its members.
In the wake of this profound tragedy, intense protests erupted across the institute’s campus, with students demanding strict punitive action against the esteemed faculty member.
SFI UK celebrated Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation and accused police of brutal repression while making no mention of stone-pelting, heckling or attacks on police and RPF personnel during the agitation by goons posing as student protesters.
The Wire portrayed the London gathering as spontaneous despite weeks of SFI campaigning and committee-led protests across Britain. BBC and Al Jazeera joined Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch in amplifying the wider crackdown narrative.
The clashes reportedly stemmed from an earlier flashpoint when ABVP students from the Barak Hostel burnt a Ravan effigy bearing the faces of controversial figures Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid.