Amnesty issue: College files counter-compliant, ABVP vows stronger protests

Authorities of the United Theological College, in Benson Town, Bengaluru, have filed a counter-complaint in the JC Nagar police station in Bengaluru, accusing members of the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) of rioting in their premises. 

On August 14, activists of the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activists, led by MP and BJP Yuva Morcha President Prathap Simha, barged into the premises of the college and blackened the signboard and staged a dharna amid a heavy police presence. 

The ABVP says it was protesting an event held by the NGO Amnesty International in the college on August 13, during which the ABVP alleges that 'anti-India' and 'anti-army' slogans were shouted. 

In their counter-complaint, the college has accused the ABVP of damaging their signboard and a lamp post. 

Anticipating arson and rioting by vigilante groups, the Bengaluru city police have tightened security cover at the college premises. Reserve police battalions have also been deployed as security to several colleges across the city.                                          

However, dismissing such security precautions, Santosh Reddy, the ABVP leader who led the protest in Malleshwaram said, "We know how to intensify our protest. "

Meanwhile, sources say that Bengaluru police have asked Amnesty International and the college to shift their offices to different premises for the time being, given the current disturbances and possible security risks.

• Amnesty Bengaluru
• ABVP
• protest