Days after a Dalit professor at Lucknow University, Ravi Kant Chandan was assaulted by ABVP’s students and booked by Uttar Pradesh Police for his remarks on Kashi Vishwanath temple, he was attacked again by a student associated with the Samajwadi Party’s student outfit in the campus on Wednesday.
The incident occurred around 1pm when Prof. Kant came out of his class. He was accompanied by two armed security guards, who handed over the students to the police, according to news agency PTI.
Chandan, Professor of the university’s Hindi department told PTI, “Karthik Pandey, a student leader, came to me and started hurling abuses and casteist slurs at me and hit me. I have filed a complaint with the police regarding the incident. This incident shows that my life is under constant threat,” the professor alleged.
The student, Kartik Pandey, is an officer bearer of the Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha, a student outfit of the Samajwadi Party. He was removed from the outfit, hours after the incident took place.
Further, Pandey was also suspended for attacking the professor Chandan and a committee has been formed to probe into the matter, LU spokesperson Durgesh Srivastav said.
An FIR has been registered against Chandan under IPC Sections 153-A (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion etc.); 504 (intentional insult with the intent to prove a breach of peace); 505(2) (statements conducive to public mischief committed in a place of worship); and Section 66 of the IT Act for his remarks during an online debate on the Kashi Vishwanath temple-Gyanvapi mosque row.
He was booked after following the complaint by an ABVP student of the university, Aman Dubey, who alleged the professor hurt Hindu sentiments.
Last week, Chandan was heckled by members of the Hindu nationalist student wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad inside the Lucknow university campus.
