Sayeda, TwoCircles.net
Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh): Almost a year after a 22-year-old student of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) was allegedly gangraped by three workers of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Indian Institute of Technology- BHU (IIT-BHU) administration has suspended student leaders who were protesting for action against the accused – two of whom remain out on bail.
An official document from the Office of Registrar stated that 13 students involved in acts of “misconduct” and “indiscipline” had been suspended for 30 days. The document claimed the students had disturbed the “academic ambience in the university” and defamed “the prestigious university”.
Chanda Yadav, national joint secretary of the All-India Students’ Association (AISA), who is also one of the suspended leaders, highlighted the irony of the situation, noting that a committee had been set up to guide the suspended students on how to conduct themselves in a disciplined manner.
“Please don’t try to teach us how to conduct ourselves. You should first learn how to handle matters of such sensitivity,” she told TwoCircles.net.
On the night of November 1, the survivor was allegedly abducted, stripped, filmed and assaulted by three men in Varanasi, who are reported to be members of the BJP IT Cell. Initially, the police registered molestation charges but later added gangrape to the FIR.
Massive protests erupted at the IIT-BHU campus on November 3, with over 2,000 students boycotting classes and staging a dharna (sit-in). As protests continued, a scuffle broke out on November 5 between two groups at the dharna.
Chanda recalled, “On November 5, the administration, police and ABVP members came and disrupted the protest and started getting violent. And in the end, an FIR was lodged against some of us.”
A scuffle occurred between members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and other student groups. A 20-year-old ABVP member filed a complaint against 17 named individuals and one unidentified person, alleging they abused and assaulted her.
“An FIR was filed against us while the accused roamed free,” said Chanda.
In December 2023, the three accused in the gangrape case were jailed, but two were released on bail in August this year.
“There is no progress in the case and after 11 months, it is we who have been suspended. The three accused are part of the BJP IT Cell. They are well-connected. They have pictures with (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi, (Chief Minister) Yogi (Adityanath), Smriti Irani, JP Nadda…,” Chanda stated.
She added that the victim has been kept away from the media and protesters, with police warning against “people trying to get in touch”.
“We have not been able to get in touch with the victim; her and her family’s whereabouts are unknown. They are being kept at a secret location and are not being allowed to interact with anyone. Once I tried reaching her out and received a call from the police asking me not to call her, otherwise they would levy charges on me.”
NSUI National Coordinator Rohit Rana, who has received a “notice” for “misconduct”, questioned the basis of the accusation. “We have been sent a notice on the basis of ‘misconduct’; what is our misconduct? Whether it is Gandhi Jayanti or Babasaheb’s Jayanti, all gatherings and celebrations have been counted as misconduct.”
“If voices will not be raised in a university, then where will they be raised? Where will people protest against injustice?” asked Rohit. He has been involved in protests since November last year and noted that while the administration swiftly takes action against students demanding justice, the “actual perpetrators” remain free.
Chanda emphasised that “BHU has had a long history of rape culture” with little being done to address it.
As a woman and student leader, she expressed that safety is a significant concern on campus. “Every day, there are incidents like eve-teasing, catcalling and rape happening on campus, but no action is taken by the BHU administration. We are demanding GSCash.”
“If we are walking, people follow us and pass inappropriate comments; no action is ever taken. The culture is patriarchal,” she alleged.
A protest against the suspension of the students was held at the university’s Lanka Gate on Monday, attended by various political figures, including Samajwadi Mahila Sabha National President Juhi Singh, Chandauli MP Virendra Singh, NSUI National President Varun Chaudhary, MLA Prabhunarayan Yadav and others.