Sharda University violence: 8 students including 2 Afghans suspended, may face expulsion

A week after violence broke out in Sharda University in Greater Noida between groups of Indian and Afghan students, the university management has suspended eight students after evidence surfaced of their involvement in the ruckus that took place last Tuesday.

Among the eight students, two are Afghans while six are Indians. They allegedly took part in the violence on the campus between October 1 and October 4. Apart from the eight, the management has also suspended four other students and asked them to face an internal inquiry committee, as they went ‘missing’ after October 4.

“The inquiry committee, which was set up on October 4, had submitted its interim report on Monday and based on the findings, we have suspended eight students and charge sheeted them for the violence. They have been asked in a show cause notice to state why they shouldn’t be expelled. Moreover, four other students have been suspended and asked to report back to university in order to face the committee,” Ajit Kumar, spokesperson, Sharda University, said.

Earlier, the management had suspended three Afghan students and sent a show cause notice to 10 other students after the initial brawl. On October 4, hundreds of students held a noisy protest against the management during which a Kashmiri student was also roughed up after he was mistaken for an Afghan. The students were demanding the ouster of Afghan students. The university was shut for the next three days and all mid-term examinations were cancelled. A heavy contingent of police was deployed on the campus to maintain order and as many as 350 students were booked for rioting.

The university management claimed that the quantum of punishment has been decided upon after going through the CCTV footage.

“Some students were seen smashing windowpanes, others were seen picking up sticks and stones while some others were seen roughing up a student. We have also warned 14 students and put them on probation for the rest of their time in the university,” Kumar said.

It all started on October 1 when a brawl broke out between Indians and Afghans over a “trivial matter”. A video purportedly showed an Indian student hurling expletives at an Afghan who then roughed him up. Soon, multiple videos emerged on social media which showed the two groups engaging in a face-off.

The university limped back to life on Monday and Tuesday as mid-term examinations resumed for all courses.

“We had over 96% attendance in Tuesday’s examination and classes are being held in a peaceful manner. The university is keeping a constant vigil to maintain discipline, peace and harmony on the campus,” Kumar said.

First Published: Oct 10, 2018 15:48 IST