Dibrugarh/Guwahati: The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) on Wednesday held demonstrations at several places in the state to protest against the police role in its clash with ABVP over a college union election in Dibrugarh.
The influential student body demanded action against Dibrugarh district superintendent of police, Shwetank Mishra for allegedly beating innocent students inside AASU’s office in the town and disrespecting the ‘Shahid Bedi’ (martyrs memorial) there.
“The SP beat up innocent students inside AASU office and picked up dozens of them. Then they were mercilessly beaten up at the police stations. This is barbaric and such administration is not acceptable to us,” AASU chief advisor Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharjya said.
The students union demanded immediate action against the guilty officers, who, it alleged disrespected the ‘Shahid Bedi’ by walking over it wearing shoes and release of the arrested students, he added.
The Assam student body had “purified” the ‘Shahid Bedi’ at AASU’s Dibrugarh district office. It had called a priest, organised a puja and poured milk around the structure.
“Today we held protests across the state demanding justice. We also want to tell the government that such torturous administration is not acceptable to a peaceful society,” Bhattacharjya said.
He said the clash between AASU and ABVP took place on December 24 over students union election at Dibru College. “Such clashes are not new. But police action in such incidents were totally uncalled for”.
Out of 13 posts in the college union, ABVP had won 11. The clash began when the saffron group was celebrating its victory in front of the college.
The police had also picked up five members of the Assam Yuva Parishad and out of them, two were arrested and sent to judicial custody.
Along with Bhattacharjya, AASU president Dipanka Kumar Nath and general secretary Sankar Jyoti Baruah were present at the protest held in Guwahati. Demonstrations also took place at Sivasagar and many other places in Assam.
On December 27, AASU had burnt the effigies of the SP and state minister Atul Bora, who is the Guardian Minister of Dibrugarh district, to protest against the police’s role in its clash with ABVP over a college union election.
The student body had “purified” the ‘Shahid Bedi’ at AASU’s Dibrugarh district office. It had called a priest, organised a puja and poured milk around the structure.
The police had on December 25 picked up 11 members of AASU and later arrested five of them.
On December 26, a 24-hour bandh was called by AASU in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts to protest against the arrest of their members for allegedly assaulting the ABVP workers on Friday. It had evoked partial response.
The AASU had gone ahead with the decision to call the bandh even after Mishra had served a notice on its state General Secretary Sankar Jyoti Baruah over the matter on December 25. After that, AASU had reduced the 24-hour bandh to 12-hour.
This is for the first time that a college election in Dibrugarh district witnessed violence. Such an incident has never been reported from the district.
