Ramjas College Violence: “ABVP Wasn’t There,” Says Ex-DUSU Prez

Satinder Awana said ABVP had dispersed when The Quint’s reporters were injured, videos show otherwise.

Satinder Awana distanced ABVP from the site of violence. But videos of the protest prove otherwise. (Photo: Abhilash Mallick/The Quint)

The Quint interviewed former DUSU President and ABVP member Satinder Awana, on Thursday, a day after ABVP supporters inflicted violence upon students who were protesting the RSS student wing’s forceful cancellation of the ‘Cultures of Protest’ seminar.

When asked to comment about the attacks on The Quint’s reporters, Awana claimed that the ABVP members had dispersed when the reporters were attacked. He said:

You must already be aware, since you were live streaming the protest, that when The Quint’s reporters were injured, we had already dispersed from the area. We had lodged our FIR and left the area. So who all were left? The students, the communist workers and police. When the police asked them to co-operate, they did not agree because they wanted the cops to carry out lathi-charge and detain them so that they can victimise themselves. And when they attacked the police, the police attacked them back, and in the midst of all this your reporters got hurt. We condemn the fact that your reporters were beaten up. They should feel ashamed of themselves for attacking journalists who are trying to show you the real picture. And if there are no journalists then who will tell truth from lies?

Satinder Awana, DUSU President, ABVP Member

While Awana claimed that the ABVP had nothing to do with the attack on journalists, video footage of the protest proves otherwise.

Also Read: ‘I Now Know How Riots Start’: AISA, ABVP Spar Over Ramjas Protest

ABVP Members Beat Up The Quint’s Journalists

Two reporters and one cameraman from The Quint were injured during the protest on Wednesday.

The Quint’s reporter Taruni Kumar was covering the protest at Ramjas when she was attacked by ABVP members at around 2:40 pm.

Although Awana claimed that the ABVP had dispersed after lodging the FIR around the time our reporter was attacked, a Facebook Live recorded at Vijay Nagar at around 5:00 pm by the same reporter, shows interviews of not only Awana but many other ABVP members.

Awana made no mention of an FIR in the interview. And going by his version of the events of the day, an FIR could be filed only after 5:00pm. Watch his interview below:

Watch the entire Facebook Live that shows ABVP presence at the protest below:

The Quint’s reporter Anant Prakash and cameraperson Shiv Kumar Maurya were beaten up by the police at around 7:20pm. We have been unable to verify if the ABVP members had left Maurice Nagar police station by then.

Cameraperson and Interviewer: Badshah Shah

Read detailed updates of what happened at the Ramjas College protest on Wednesday on The Quint.

Also Read:
The Quint’s Reporter Assaulted by ABVP Members at Ramjas College
Ramjas Row: 2 Journalists From The Quint Thrashed by Delhi Police