Chaotic scenes were reported from some cities of Rajasthan, including capital Jaipur, on Monday after students clashed with police during filing of nominations for students’ union polls scheduled for August 26. Police resorted to lathi charge to disperse the crowd that had gathered in support of candidates. Additional forces were also deployed to maintain law and order.
In a video shared by news agency ANI, police could be seen baton charging students who had assembled outside Rajasthan University in Jaipur to hold an election rally without permission. The report said the clash caused injuries to both police personnel and students.
Police said the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) candidate for president in the university, Narendra Yadav, held a massive rally as a show of strength during filing of papers. When they were barred from entering the university campus and administrative block citing model code of conduct, the students turned unruly and created ruckus, PTI reported citing police officers.
Later, the students blocked the JLN Road outside the campur in protest against the lathi charge and allegedly threw stones at police. Officials said that they have detained nearly half a dozen students.
“FIR will be registered and action against those involved in the ruckus will be taken,” a police officer told PTI.
Yadav said police targeted him and his supporters because the Congress-led state government wants to defeat the ABVP in students’ union elections. The ABVP workers further alleged that some of the supporters injured during the clash were not taken to hospital by police.
During the time when the scuffle broke out, JLN Road and its surrounding areas witnessed traffic congestion due to the blockade and traffic was diverted, police said.
Besides Jaipur, clashes took place in other places like Barmer and Ajmer. In a college in Barmer, supporters of two rival nominees had a confrontation during the nominations. Both candidates reached the college with a large number of their supporters, and police had to use mild force to control the situation, the PTI report added.
Similar incidents of ruckus were reported from Ajmer as well, but officials said police quickly brought the situation under control.