ABVP Members Blacken Professor’s Face in Kutch, Gujarat

Members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vishwa Parishad (ABVP) blackened the face of a professor and paraded him through the campus ground at Krantiguru Shyamji Krishna Verma Kutch University in the Bhuj district of Kutch, Gujarat, on 26 June.

The incident took place during the run-up to the University’s senate elections, which are scheduled for 22 July as per a report in The Indian Express.

ABVP student leaders accused Professor Girin Baxi, Associate Professor and Head of the Chemistry Department and a coordinator for the elections, of selectively rejecting voter registration forms, The Indian Express stated.

The university’s vice chancellor said that a group of students, from the RSS’ youth wing, ABVP, dragged Professor Baxi out of the classroom while he was giving a lecture, and threw a “black substance” on his face. The students then paraded Baxi through the college campus to the vice chancellor’s office, and continued to protest outside, the newspaper reported.

Prima facie, their claim about selective voter registration was found to be baseless as all the forms were rejected according to the rules. Regardless, we had scheduled a hearing on the issue for 4.30 pm on Tuesday, 26 June. However, the ABVP supporters became aggressive and attacked Prof Baxi.

The university’s vice chancellor in a statement to The Indian Express.

Baxi was rushed to a hospital after he complained of skin irritation following the attack. The substance that was thrown at him is yet to be identified.

The Bhuj police has registered a case against a group of around 15 to 20 persons, The Indian Express reported, under section 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), and section 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from duty) of the Indian Penal Code.

Additionally, charges have been levelled against the attackers under sections related to criminal intimidation and rioting, the police added.