Bhubaneswar: A clash broke out between members of BCJD and ABVP on the Utkal University campus at Bhubaneswar’s Vani Vihar Wednesday, ahead of the students’ union elections.
The incident took place at the university’s convocation hall during the “Why I Stand For” meeting.
Police said that the confrontation erupted over the alleged presence of non-students at the meeting venue, with members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the Biju Chhatra Janata Dal (BCJD), the BJD’s student wing, throwing plastic chairs at each other.
The meeting was delayed as tension escalated, prompting police personnel to rush to the campus to bring the situation under control, a police officer said.
Police Commissioner S Dev Datta Singh and Bhubaneswar DCP Saravana Vivek M also reached the venue to pacify the agitated students.
“We will remove all outsiders from the campus and ensure a free and fair election. I appeal to all to maintain law and order inside the university campus,” Singh told reporters.
The DCP asked all non-students to leave the venue and allowed the meeting to proceed in the presence of police.
Adequate personnel have been deployed on the campus to maintain law and order, he said.
The ‘Why I Stand For’ meeting eventually began around 1.30 pm under police supervision.
The incident comes days after bombs were hurled at a boys’ hostel on the university campus on Sunday night.
The university has installed more than 250 CCTV cameras across the campus and its facilities, with additional surveillance in sensitive areas.
Local police and former Army personnel have also been deployed at the main entrance, officials said.
The ‘Why I Stand For’ meetings were held peacefully at Ravenshaw, Sambalpur and RD Women’s universities, officials said.
Elections will be held Thursday in 359 higher education institutions in Odisha, including 346 colleges and 13 universities.
A total of 6,891 candidates are in the fray, according to data released by the Higher Education Department.
Meanwhile, 1,597 college representatives, including 872 men and 725 women, have been elected unopposed. In universities, 42 representatives have also been elected unopposed.
Polling will be held from 8 am to 2 pm Thursday, followed by counting of votes and declaration of results on the same day. The oath-taking ceremony is scheduled for October 16 at 11 am.
Campus elections are being held in the state’s colleges and universities after a gap of eight years.
The polls had remained suspended for various reasons, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
