Student polls: More trouble brewing in UP
With communal tension already on the rise, Uttar Pradesh is heading for some more troubled days in the coming weeks.
After a gap of almost seven years, elections are to be held in September and October in all state universities and degree colleges and the law and order situation has already started worsening with wannabe student leaders flexing their muscles.
Two student leaders, Pradeep Singh Sahjanwa and Satyapal Singh, have been shot dead within the past 10 days in Gorakhpur district and both the killings are related to the impending student union elections.
In Kanpur, student trouble has been on the rise since the past few weeks and the Kanpur University Teachers’ Association (KUTA) has refused to participate in conducting the student union elections.
“Student politics has now become a ticket to getting government contractors and offers a free license for extortion. In such a situation, it is only the anti-social elements who want to become student leaders. Such rowdy elements not only disturb the academic atmosphere on the campus and set a bad precedent. In view of recent clashes, it is better and safer for teachers to stay away from the student elections,” said a senior faculty member on condition of anonymity.
In Lucknow, where student union polls are to be held on October 6, reports of extortion have stated pouring in. Shopkeepers in main city markets, like Aminabad and Hazratganj, have been asked by contestants to contribute anything between `10,000 to `25,000, depending on the size of the shop/showroom.
“At least two candidates have asked us to cough up the money or else we will be responsible for any damage to our shop. The police refuse to even entertain our complaint unless we give them in writing and if we do that, who will protect us from the student leaders?” asked a shopkeeper. A senior police official, admitted on condition of anonymity, the student union polls would lead to complete lawlessness. “Since majority of the contestants claim to belong to the ruling party, we cannot initiate direct action which worsens the situation,” he said.
The students’ union elections in the state were banned during the Mayawati regime which led to widespread protests by student leaders across the state.
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