BHU molestation: Protesting students lathi-charged by police
On an otherwise normal Saturday, the Uttar Pradesh police lathi-charged students from the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) who had been protesting for over three days against the alleged molestation of a university girl. Both the police and the students have given their versions of the story. The protests coincided with PM Modi's visit to his Lok Sabha constituency.
The police's version and the students' version
Reportedly, the students had attempted to forcefully enter the BHU Vice Chancellor's residence. Upon being stopped by the deployed security forces, the students allegedly became violent and attacked the police, to which the police reacted with force. The students alleged that the police had thrashed them and dragged them by their hair - an allegation which was denied by the DM Varanasi.
How the protests started
The protests outside the BHU campus was triggered on Thursday when a first-year female student of the university was allegedly molested outside the campus by three men on a bike. Upon complaining to the university administration, the victim claimed that in lieu of taking any meaningful action, the administration shamed her for her awkward hostel timings. Students then started protesting against such administrative apathy.
