Disrespect to anthem: ABVP members halt match at Jammu University
What's the story
Alleged ABVP members stormed the grounds of Jammu University on April 8 and halted an inter-university football match, alleging "Kashmiri" students had disrespected the national anthem. Activists entered the institute in the morning, shouted slogans and held a sit-in protest. Multiple reports cited ABVP members as saying that students were "talking to each other during the national anthem" and "not standing in proper position".
Students
Students deny allegations, claim were threatened
"We were playing when all of a sudden around 40 men waving ABVP flags shouted slogans like 'agar yahan rehna hai to Vande Mataram kehna hai'," said a student of Islamic University of Science and Technology, who was there for the match. "(Jammu University authorities) didn't stop the ABVP men from interfering," he added.
Probe
Jammu University constitutes probe panel
Jammu University has constituted a committee to probe the allegations of disrespect. However, Vice Chancellor Prof RD Sharma said there wasn't any truth to the claims. Sharma has asked the ABVP to furnish proof of the incident and assured action for guilty students. Due to the chaos, some events had to be cancelled.
ABVP
'Not our men', claim ABVP, but demand action
Jammu ABVP secretary Deepak Gupta denied that the miscreants who had forcibly entered the university were from the party. "They might be students from the university," he said. However, he demanded action against those who had disrespected the anthem. "We saw the video of the students who were not standing in proper position. We demand action be taken against them by university authorities."
Quote
Farooq Abdullah blames "current dispensation" for harassment of Kashmiris
National Conference president Farooq Abdullah condemned the incident, saying, "Harassment of Kashmiris is happening on a daily basis in new India under the current dispensation."