Banaras Hindu University tense after blood spills on campus

VARANASI: Tension prevailed in Banaras Hindu University (BHU) on Wednesday following murder of an expelled student Gaurav Singh, who was shot multiple times by assailants on the campus late on Tuesday. Police led by a senior police officer launched a massive search operation in the hostels against suspicious elements.

As a group of students locked the main gate of the university and staged a sit-in demanding immediate arrest of the accused, including chief proctor Royana Singh, heavy police force was deployed in and around the campus.

In view of the tension, district magistrate Surendra Singh and SSP Anand Kulkarni camped on the campus.

Though varsity administration declared a holiday on Wednesday, scores of students gathered at the main gate and raised slogans. The DM and SSP met the protesters and tried to convince them to call off their stir. However, the protesters did not leave the venue and continued the protest till late evening. Other groups of students also carried out protests and candle marches in the evening.

The cops also launched a massive search operation in the hostels, specially Birla A and Birla C. The search team was led by SP (City) Dinesh Kumar Singh. He said that hostel blocks, including A, B and C of Birla hostel complex, were searched. Similar drive was continuing in other hostels till late evening.

Due to heavy deployment of police and paramilitary forces, the campus remained calm but the tension was palpable.

Earlier, after Gaurav was attacked near Birla A hostel on Tuesday evening, hundreds of inmates from different hostels had come on Hostel road, although timely deployment of police averted any untoward incident. But Gaurav’s angry supporters went on a rampage when his brother Saurabh Singh reached Trauma Centre where Gaurav was admitted and raised slogans to avenge the attack on his brother.

When an inmate of Birla C hostel reached there, Saurabh’s companions allegedly attacked him. Police had to intervene to rescue him. The incident led to chaos on Trauma Centre campus as many flower-pots were damaged and people ran helter-skelter.