Seven arrested from Banaras Hindu University for using casteist slurs against Dalit students
They reportedly forced the administration to take down a poster that the Dalit students had put up to mark the death anniversary of BR Ambedkar.
The police in Varanasi have arrested seven students of the Banaras Hindu University for using casteist slurs against Dalit students who had put up a poster marking the death anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar, The Indian Express reported.
They also reportedly forced the university administration to take down the poster.
Student wings of different political parties join protest of SC/ST students on BHU campus against removal of hoarding of event on Ambedkar pic.twitter.com/d8Q4JABTPs
— TOIVaranasi (@TOIVaranasi) December 6, 2017
The seven were arrested early on Wednesday after an organisation representing students from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities lodged a police complaint. They accused the seven of causing “the Dalit and other SC/ST minority students deep mental and psychological trauma, leaving them with a deep sense of insecurity on campus”.
The accused were booked under Section 147 (rioting) of the Indian Penal Code, and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The university administration said they pulled down the poster because a group of students “created a controversy”. “But then the students of the SC/ST cell surrounded our office, and we put up the poster again,” Chief Proctor Royana Singh said. “We were forced to take it down again later in the morning.”
After that, the Dalit students staged a protest on the BHU campus, The Times of India reported.