Patna: The police used mild force to disperse the Patna University (PU) students, demanding union elections, on Wednesday. Some students were injured in the incident and were admitted to the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) and other private hospitals.
The last students’ union election in Patna University was held in November 2022. Voting took place for five positions: president, vice president, secretary, general secretary and treasurer.
On Wednesday evening, the students were protesting at the university gate, demanding the union elections. The police arrived at the PU gate to pacify the protesting students, but they did not relent. The police soon resorted to lathicharge, said eyewitnesses.
About a dozen students were injured in the incident, including Shashi Kumar, Harshvardhan Kumar, Shashwat Shekhar, Amritanshu Kumar, Raviranjan Kumar and Rinkle Yadav.
Senior police officials did not respond to calls for an official statement over the issue.
An injured student Shashwat Shekhar said: “The university administration is trying to suppress our voice. We will not succumb to the pressure. We were lathicharged today, but we will present our demands more firmly. Student union elections are not being held at the university, even though they should be conducted regularly.”
Another student, Om, said: “The student union elections at PU should take place soon. Hostel allotments for students should be made. We were protesting democratically in front of the VC’s office regarding these demands. The university administration called the police to remove us, while we were lathicharged.”
Before the protest, the student organisations held a meeting at Patna University. All student organisations also wrote a letter to the VC on the issue.