DUSU chief Aryan Maan, ABVP workers forcibly storm DU's Gargi College; AAP questions ‘sanskaar’

E-PaperSubscribeSubscribeEnjoy unlimited accessSubscribe Now! Get features like Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) president Aryan Maan and several Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) members allegedly forced entry into Delhi University's Gargi College, drawing ire from the Aam Aadmi Party, which previously governed the national capital. While police officers acted to restore order at Gargi College, several students reportedly raised slogans against ABVP. (HT Archive/Instagram)Maan and others reached the campus and forcibly entered the college campus after they were denied entry on the basis of the rules surrounding men's entry into the premises. AAP slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asked whether this was the Bharatiya Janata Party -- the party whose government rules Delhi -- and ABVP's idea of "sanskaar" (ethics). According to an earlier HT report, the storming of Gargi College's campus was reportedly linked to the student council elections held on Friday. A contesting candidate allegedly contacted the DUSU president during voting, claiming the process was unfair, students who spoke on condition of anonymity said. DUSU president Aryan Maan and other ABVP members reached the campus, but they were denied entry. The denial was due to rules, which state that male visitors are allowed to enter the premises only after verification on specific occasions. The refusal didn't stop Maan. He and others forcibly entered Gargi College's premises, claiming to support the candidate. A fourth-year undergraduate student reportedly said that Gargi College operates outside the purview of DUSU politics, adding that it also has no active student political organisations. "The president has no role to play, and even if he did, the manner in which he entered, along with his aggressive verbal and body language, was highly intimidating," the student was quoted as saying in an earlier HT report. Police personnel deployed on campus intervened, escorted Aryan Maan and others out of the premises, and maintained order. While police officers acted to restore order, several students reportedly raised slogans against ABVP. A senior police officer said that no untoward incident was reported and the election was concluded peacefully, adding that no complaint has been received from any person or group so far. While there was no direct response from DUSU chief Aryan Maan, ABVP Delhi state secretary, Sarthak Sharma, said the situation turned tense after a protest. "A contesting student unaffiliated with either ABVP or left-leaning organisations, contacted the DUSU president alleging she was being treated differently due to her apolitical stance. The ABVP members were initially staging a sit-in protest when a non-teaching staff member allegedly verbally abused them leading them to forcibly enter the campus,” Sharma reportedly said. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) shared a video of the incident and the scene at Gargi College on its Instagram handle, saying it was not just a breach, but it also "raises serious questions about student safety". View this post on Instagram A post shared by Aam Aadmi Party | AAP (@aamaadmiparty) The Arvind Kejriwal-led party said even though "Beti Bachao" slogans continue to roar, a women's college doesn't even feel safe. The overlay text on the video shared by AAP said, "They thought it's a girls' college, what will they do? And this is how it went." The video showed Maan and ABVP members trying to force entry into the college campus, followed by police personnel escorting them out of the premises and students chanting, "ABVP haye haye!" "Students pushed back and sent them out. Yet the question remains: Is this the Sanskaar BJP and ABVP stand for?"