Bengaluru, Feb 25 (IANS): Hours after police action against the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) members following vandalisation at the prestigious Azim Premji University, the organisation addressed a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah demanding strict action against the All India Students Association (AISA), its affiliated SPARK organisation, and Azim Premji University, alleging that anti-national activities were being facilitated on the campus.
In a submission by its Bengaluru Mahanagara unit, Abhinandan Mirji, Mahanagara Secretary of ABVP’s Bengaluru unit, on Wednesday alleged that educational campuses, which should serve as centres of excellence and nation-building, were being misused to host programmes promoting anti-national ideologies.
He claimed that AISA, through its sponsored body SPARK, had been conducting events and gatherings that allegedly spread anti-national narratives and influenced students with views harmful to the country’s unity and integrity.
The ABVP further alleged that certain programmes conducted under the banner of SPARK portrayed Indian soldiers in a negative light, raised slogans and discussions related to Kashmir’s separation from India, and criticised military operations. It also claimed that such activities promoted extremist ideologies and attempted to influence young minds against national interests.
Demanding immediate intervention, ABVP called for a ban on AISA and its affiliated SPARK organisation operating within the university campus. It also urged authorities to conduct an enquiry against students and organisers involved in such activities and take strict disciplinary and legal action if violations were found.
The student organisation also demanded that the recognition granted to Azim Premji University be revoked if it was found to be providing a platform for activities detrimental to national unity.
Abhinandan Mirji, stated that educational institutions must remain focussed on academic excellence and nation-building. He urged authorities to ensure that campuses do not become centres for activities that could undermine national integrity.
Protests broke out at Azim Premji University in Sarjapur on Tuesday evening after members of the ABVP accused a student collective of attempting to host an “anti-national” seminar related to Jammu and Kashmir.
The university clarified that it had not authorised any such event.
It can be noted that, a group of ABVP activists barged onto the campus after forcefully opening the gate, raising slogans and staging demonstrations both outside the university gates and within the premises.
The demonstrators vandalised property, smeared ink on the university’s main signage, and spray-painted graffiti reading “Ban SPARK” on campus walls. They also demanded disciplinary action against the organisers and called for a ban on the student collective.
According to ABVP activists, the controversy stemmed from a programme allegedly organised by a student collective named SPARK to mark the anniversary of the Kunan Poshpora incident of February 23, 1991.
The ABVP claimed that the proposed seminar was derogatory towards the Indian Army and promoted separatist ideologies. Protesters also alleged that the event portrayed Jammu and Kashmir as separate from India.
Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara on Wednesday defended the police action against the members of the ABVP in connection with the controversy at Azim Premji University, stating that the government would not tolerate attempts to disrupt academic events or take the law into one’s hands.
Former Deputy Chief Minister and BJP MLA C.N. Ashwath Narayan stated that Azim Premji University is a prestigious institution that has rendered significant service in the field of education, and its role in the development of the country’s education sector is commendable. However, organizations such as SPARK, which is sponsored by the All India Students' Association (AISA) must be banned from operating in universities. Such programmes should not be permitted in the future, he demanded.
(IANS)
This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.