India: Joint Attack by Police and Fascists on protesting Students

We hereby publish a resume of a press statement by the Campaign Against State Repression (C.A.S.R.), India, which we publish below. We have earlier reported on the struggle for democratic rights in India and the repression it faces.

C.A.S.R. reports that on 5th November 2023, students at Benaras Hindu University, BHU, have been atttacked by the joint forces of the police and fascist Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, ABVP. During the course of a protest being waged by the students against the sexual assault of a student and institutional apathy and disregard towards rampant manifestations of Brahmanical patriarchy. When students showed their anger by burning effigies, the police took the effigy, abducted activist student Roshan and then provided the space and protection for ABVP students to attack the protesting students. Roshan was released hours later after relentless demonstrations from the students. This is part of the continuous anti-people activities of the Yogi Adityanath government and the suppression of democratic voices all over the country.

The press statement concludes that the purpose of the state’s atrocities has been to silence all democratic voices. Showing examples as of a few weeks ago, in October, in University of Allahabad, MA student Vivek Kumar, coming from Dalit community, was protesting against the arrests of fellow students and was brutally beaten by the proctor Rakesh Singh by a lathi he took from a policeman. At the Aligarh Muslim University, there was repression against 4 students of a pro-Palestine rally. Almost a year ago, the CASR itself has been attacked by ABVP goons, on 1st December 2022, after they had finalized a campaign regarding the incarceration of Prof. G.N. Saibaba: students were attacked and needed to be taken to the hospital where the police allowed and gave space for 50-60 goons associated with the ABVP to barge into the hospital.

The Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) vehemently condemns the joint attack by the police and ABVP against protesting students at BHU as well as the abduction of student Roshan.

The CASR demands the recalling of all police forces against protesting students to allow the students to exercise their democratic right to protest and an end to the attempts at creating a police state within universities.