Ban on students union polls: Unrest continues

Lucknow, Sep 8 (UNI) Unrest amongst the student community in Uttar Pradesh continued for the second day today following government's decision to ban students' union elections.

Police used force in several parts of the state to disperse unruly mobs which went on a rampage to protest the decision. While several buses and other public property was damaged, the students also burnt Chief Minister Mayawati's effigy.

In Varanasi, around 100 Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth and Sampoornanand Sanskrit University students were arrested. They were later joined by more protestors from Harish Chandra Degree College and Udai Pratap College.

In view of the violent protests yesterday, the district administration had deployed effective security measures at all the degree colleges and varsities.

Facing the protests, all the degree colleges and varsities, except Banaras Hindu University (BHU) were closed today.

Addressing newsperons, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) national general secretary Suresh Bhatt said they were opposed to the order and the state government should ensure the conduct of fair elections in accordance with the Lyngdoh committee report.

He also demanded a National Student Union Act and a National Student Tribunal to look after the students' rights.

In Meerut, students burnt Chief Minister Mayawati in effigy. A group of agitators, led by ABVP member Ved Pandey handed over a memorandum, addressed to the Governor, to the district authorities.

A report from Gorakhpur said students observed a bandh to protest the decision. Most of the major commercial centres in the eastern UP town remained closed in support of the students.

Students torched two jeeps belonging to the Health and Excise department in Ballia district to protest the ban on union elections.

Meanwhile, Congress has termed as 'undemocratic', the decision of the Mayawati government banning students' union elections in Uttar Pradesh.

The UP Congress said if the state government failed to revoke its decision, the party will be forced to carry out ''peaceful protests'' across the state.

Talking to reporters here, UP Congress vice-presidernt in charge of organisation Satyadev Tripathi said here that if the state government was worried about the increasing number of criminals entering students politics, then it should have implemented the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations to hold the students union elections. He claimed that colleges and universities were the only platforms today from where educated people could enter mainstream politics.

The ban was imposed by the state government to improve the education curriculum and environment in the state. However the ban would not be enforced in three central universities of Banaras Hindu University, Allahabad University and Aligarh Muslim University.

According to a government release here, the CM said that the step was taken to regularise the academic session of the universities and colleges. ''These elections create severe law and order problems besides the educational activities of the students get affected,'' she added. She further said that the students' unions elections also create disturbances in the campus areas.

UNI