Allahabad University denies permission to symposium in campus

Allahabad: The members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and four office-bearers of Allahabad University Student Union (AUSU) on Wednesday laid siege the office of Allahabad University Vice-Chancellor, R L Hangloo where a meeting between him, AUSU president Richa Singh and senior journalist Siddharth Varadarajan was going on.

The condition continued for an hour and the police had to come to escort Varadarajan and Singh out of the campus. Varadarajan's entry was protested by the activists and students in campus.

Earlier, Varadarajan was not allowed to address a symposium at Senate Hall of the Arts campus after AU authorities withdrew permission following protest by four AUSU office-bearers affiliated to ABVP who claimed that Varadarajan was "pro-Naxal and his ideas were anti-national". The theme of the national symposium and dialogue on democracy was "Media and Freedom of Expression" and it was organised by Singh.

File photo of Siddharth Vardhrajan

Following denial of permission, Varadarajan had spoken at Swaraj Vidyapeeth, a venue outside the varsity campus. While addressing the students, he said: "Denial of permission to me to speak to students will only dent the credibility of a reputed institution like Allahabad University."