Police personnel detain Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad activists after they reach Lal Baradari mosque to chant the Hanuman Chalisa, at the University of Lucknow on Tuesday (Feb 24). Photo: PTI
Namaz-Hanuman Chalisa row intensifies at Lucknow University, 13 get notices
The row over sealing access to the campus mosque continued, as right-wing-affiliated student groups chanted the Hanuman Chalisa
The controversy over sealing the approach to the Lal Baradari mosque inside the Lucknow University campus intensified as Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) students, on Tuesday (February 24), continued reciting the Hanuman Chalisa outside the mosque.
Amid continued protests and heated exchanges between students and police, the university administration has issued notices to 13 students, including those who offered namaz and those who protested, directing them to furnish a personal bond of Rs 50,000 each.
Administrative action
The standoff between student groups over offering namaz and chanting Hanuman chalisa at the Lal Baradari building has been ongoing since Sunday (February 22). Members of the right-wing students’ group protested against the offering of namaz on the campus and chanted the Hanuman Chalisa outside the mosque. During the protest, students also engaged in arguments with the police personnel deployed at the spot.
Also read: DU cracks down on protests, public meeting on campus for a month
Acting on a report filed by the Hasanganj police station, the administration served notices to 13 students (Hindu and Muslim students), asking them to submit a bond of Rs 50,000 each. The notice stated that such activities had led to tension on the campus.
Campus tensions
According to a student, despite the route to the Lal Baradari mosque being closed for construction work, some Muslim students offered namaz and held iftar in front of it on Sunday as a mark of protest. Some students formed a human chain to provide them security.
Protests continued on Monday (February 23), as students from the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), All India Students' Association (AISA), and the Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha joined in. Commotion broke out when students attempted to remove the barricading.
Also read: JNU's late night protest turns violent; JNUSU, ABVP accuse each other of attacks
Students affiliated with ABVP opposed those offering namaz and the organisations backing them. Slogans such as “Jai Bhawani” and “Jai Shri Ram” were reportedly raised, leading to further confrontation.
On Tuesday, some students again gathered outside the Baradari mosque, and allegedly, a few students carried Ganga water and demanded "purification" of the place, which heightened tensions. There were scuffles between students and the police, following which some students were taken into custody.
The Lucknow University administration stated that the Baradari building gate had been sealed and barricaded for safety reasons due to its dilapidated condition.
(This article was originally published in The Federal Desh)
