The Hindu : New Delhi News : Dyal Singh College students beaten up

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Dyal Singh College students beaten up

Staff Reporter

Brawl with NSUI supporters during campaigning

NEW DELHI: An ugly brawl between the supporters of the National Students’ Union of India and the students of Dyal Singh College during the campaigning for the Delhi University Students’ Union elections left three persons injured on Saturday afternoon. Of the injured, while one was a college student, two were outsiders.

It all happened when NSUI candidates Manohar Naagar – who is also an ex-student of Dyal Singh College -- and Ashish Gahlot, who are in the race for the posts of DUSU vice-president and joint secretary respectively, arrived at the college for campaigning, accompanied by a number of “outsiders”.

“As per the University’s instructions, the guards at the gate were allowing students to enter the campus only after checking their identity cards. Even as this was being done, a large group just pushed the guards aside and came inside. I told both the candidates that they should not indulge in defacement of any walls. But later I got to know that they had put printed posters all over the college,” said Principal Inder Bakshi on Saturday.

According to college students’ union president Rahul Sharma, about “100 outsiders” had come with Manohar allegedly armed with knives, sticks and rods. “We had asked the candidates that only bonafide students will be let in. Once they entered forcibly, we decided to close the college gate and said that only those with college I-cards will be allowed to go. Feeling cornered, these NSUI supporters then started beating up college students with rods and sticks,” he said. “Neither the college authorities, nor the police came to our rescue. Around 30 students were hit during the melee,” he added.

Meanwhile, NSUI spokesperson Kuntal Krishna maintained that his party candidates had nothing to do with the violence at the college premises.

“Manohar did go there, but he was accompanied by students. These days a lot of checking is done before letting the candidates and their supporters inside the college. This incident happened between some outsiders and Dyal Singh College students. We are not associated with it in any which way. In fact, it is unfortunate that political colour is being given to this shameful incident,” he added.

The Lodhi Colony police have registered a case in the matter.

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