TALEIGAO: “Succumbing” to pressure from the National Students Union of India (NSUI), the Goa University (GU) has agreed to set up a committee to look into the scuffle between members of BJP student’s cell and the National Students Union of India (NSUI) supporters on the GU Students’ council election day and then come up with a decision to have re-elections or not.
Around 150 supporters of NSUI, along with president Ahraz Mulla and senior Congress spokesperson, led rallies to the GU on Thursday as they called for the immediate suspension of the DSW team which looked into the poll process. The NSUI also wanted an impartial probe into the unfair suspension of its candidate, setting up of a committee to look into the scuffle and filing a police complaint to identify the BJPYM youth supporters and take subsequent action against them.
The NSUI protesters began their demonstration around 11.30 am and raised slogans. The Congress spokesperson Sunil Khautankar accused the police of hitting him with their batons when the supporters tried to force themselves into GU’s administrative block. This, left him with a bruised nose.
After a series of negotiations with the GU Registrar V. V. Reddy for nearly two-and-a-half hours, the GU bowed down to the NSUI and accepted all their three demands.
“We have accepted the demands put forward by the NSUI, we have dissolved the DSW committee and will file a written complaint to the police authorities to identity and take action against the people behind the horrifying incident which took place on the GUSC election day,” said Reddy.
NSUI president Ahraz Mulla said the incidents of August 26 led to the “Murder of democracy” by the officials and police authorities, who acted in connivance with the BJP – led government to stop voice of the opposition backed student leaders.
Further mentioning it as a very sad incident “that our chairman candidate Prachiti Gurav was illegally disqualified for non-filing of expenditure details despite the fact that the expenditure detail was filed in the DSW and acknowledgment for the same was received from the office.
“Our demands have been met and this ‘victory’ goes to the students. Goa University has accepted their fault and has assured us that a committee will be set up to look into the matter and a report will be submitted by September 30. Secondly, they have also agreed to file a complaint with the police authorities in identifying people behind the August 26 incident and to take action against the culprits,” Sunil Khautankar told the media.
