ABVP denies role in assault on IGNTU faculty member

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has denied any role in the alleged assault on a Keralite faculty member at Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU), Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh.

Terming the alleged assault on Charles Varghese, an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology, IGNTU, unfortunate, the ABVP, in a statement here, firmly rejected the allegations linking it with the incident.

ABVP Mahakaushal State secretary Suvrat Bajhal said in the statement that in recent days, some sections of the media had incorrectly associated the ABVP with the incident at IGNTU, Amarkantak. The students involved in the act had no connection with the ABVP.

The ABVP, he said, was a nationalist student organisation that had always believed in the concept of a healthy academic environment and worked to improve it, promote dialogue, and safeguard student interests. It did not support any form of violence or unlawful activity, the ABVP said, demanding strict action from the university administration.

Rajya Sabha member V. Sivadasan had written to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav to express deep concern over the alleged violence against Charles Varghese at the latter’s on-campus residence by individuals affiliated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

The MP urged the Chief Minister to initiate immediate, impartial and time-bound investigation into the incident. He also called for swift identification and arrest of those involved, enhanced security for the assaulted faculty member and others on campus, and stringent measures to prevent recurrence of such violence.