BHU row: Varanasi Commissioner blames 'callous' approach of University admin for violence

Even though the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) Vice-Chancellor has blamed outsiders with 'vested interests' for students protest, Varanasi Commissioner has blamed the administration for the violence on varsity's campus on Saturday night.

A number of students including women and two journalists were injured in a baton-charge after a protest on Saturday night against an alleged eve-teasing incident turned violent. 

Commissioner Nitin Gokarn, in a report submitted to Chief Secretary Rajiv Kumar, has blamed the University administration for not handling the matter in a sensitive manner.

"The BHU neither dealt with the victim's complaint in a sensitive manner nor handled the situation on time," Gokarn said in a report.

The police have also filed an FIR against 1000 Banaras Hindu University (BHU) students in Lanka police station for arson and other charges.

Meanwhile, Girish Chandra Tripathi, the Vice Chancellor of BHU who is under fire after the action on students, has said that the University cannot assign a guard to every student.

"Things happen on campus, you cannot stop these things. This time, the matter has been taken out of context because of outsiders. Outsiders, including political parties, have created a negative situation to destroy peace on campus," said Tripathi speaking to DNA.

Tripathi also said that the issue students were protesting is not an incident of molestation, but of eve-teasing.

Scores of activists belonging to women's groups and student organisations have protested the lathi-charge on women students.

Meanwhile, a four-member committee has been set up by Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik to probe the incident.

Following the violence, the district administration declared holidays from Monday till October 2 in all colleges and universities in Varanasi. The BHU had earlier announced that the holidays would start from September 28.