A youngster, said to be a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) student wing, spat on the face of Delhi University professor SAR Geelani
NEW DELHI: A youngster, said to be a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) student wing, spat on the face of Delhi University professor SAR Geelani on Thursday, who once faced the terror charge, during a seminar on communalism.
Geelani, who was an accused in the 2001 parliament attack case before he was exonerated by the Supreme Court for want of clinchign evidence, was chairing the seminar here in the art faculty building of Delhi University.
Around 100 activists of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) allegedly barged into the meeting hall during the seminar on “Communalism, Fascism and Democracy: Rhetoric and Reality” and vandalised the venue.
Shouting slogans like “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”, they continued their violent protest for nearly an hour.
One of the activists walked up to Geelani and spat on his face.
“The boy should be ashamed of himself and must reflect on his actions. He is not being loyal to his nation or community. This act has exposed the agenda of fascist forces like the BJP and it has to be stopped,” Geelani said.
“The ABVP members were resorting to violence and abusing everyone,” he added.
Geelani, who teaches at the Zakir Hussain College, also accused the police deployed at the venue of inaction.
“Policemen were only mute spectators. They didn't bother to stop ABVP activists who went on a rampage and smashed windowpanes,” he said.
Delhi University Student's Union president Nupur Sharma and other ABVP activists were taken into preventive custody but were released later.
“Geelani was once a terror suspect and he has no moral right to speak on communalism and democracy. And when we asked him to leave the seminar hall, we all were thrown out,” Sharma said.
“We protested peacefully, maybe a few stones were thrown - that's all,” she added.
Vikas Dhiaya, another ABVP member, termed the spitting incident as “media hype”.
“Geelani had no right to defame the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. We protested as he was distributing anti-Hindutva pamphlets,” Dhaiya said.
Geelani was arrested soon after the parliament attack Dec 13, 2001, and was awarded death sentence. He was later acquitted by the Delhi High Court.
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