Bengaluru, Feb 25 (NationPress) Karnataka's Home Minister, G. Parameshwara, spoke on Wednesday in defense of the police's actions against members of the Akhila Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) concerning the unrest at Azim Premji University. He asserted that the government will not accept any attempts to disrupt academic events or allow individuals to take the law into their own hands.

While addressing the media, HM Parameshwara highlighted that the university was set to host a seminar, stressing the importance of allowing academic institutions to engage in discussions on diverse topics.

“They were getting ready to hold a seminar. Let them choose any topic. What is expected in a seminar if not discussions? There will be points made both in support and opposition,” he stated.

Commenting on the protest where demonstrators reportedly entered the campus to interrupt the event, the Home Minister condemned such actions as intolerable. He questioned if the police should remain passive while people take unlawful actions to obstruct events or threaten students.

HM Parameshwara made it clear that the government would adopt a strict stance on this issue and take disciplinary measures against those who disturbed the program.

He reiterated that there is no tolerance for such incidents and assured that authorities would act decisively to uphold law and order, ensuring the safety of students and educational institutions.

In a related statement, former Deputy Chief Minister and BJP MLA C.N. Ashwath Narayan remarked that Azim Premji University is a notable institution that has made significant contributions to education, playing a vital role in the country's educational development.

However, he insisted that organizations like SPARK, associated with the All India Students' Association (AISA) and allegedly engaging in activities against national interest, should be prohibited from functioning within universities. He called for an immediate investigation into the events surrounding the AISA-sponsored SPARK program, emphasizing that esteemed educational institutions should be centers of nation-building and not platforms for anti-national activities.

Protests erupted at Azim Premji University in Sarjapur on Tuesday evening, initiated by members of the ABVP who accused a student collective of attempting to organize an “anti-national” seminar regarding Jammu and Kashmir.

The university clarified that it had not sanctioned any such event.

Notably, a group of ABVP activists gained access to the campus by forcefully opening the gates, chanting slogans and staging protests both outside and inside the university.

The demonstrators caused property damage, defaced the university’s main signage with ink, and spray-painted “Ban SPARK” on campus walls. They demanded disciplinary action against the event’s organizers and sought a ban on the student collective.

The activists displayed posters denouncing the seminar organization while waving both the national flag and ABVP banners. They conducted a sit-in (dharna) within the premises, asserting that their protest was against anti-national forces associated with Kashmir at Azim Premji University in Bengaluru.

According to ABVP members, the controversy arose from a program allegedly organized by the student collective SPARK to commemorate the anniversary of the alleged Kunan Poshpora mass rape incident of February 23, 1991.

The ABVP contended that the proposed seminar was disrespectful to the Indian Army and promoted separatist viewpoints. Protesters also claimed that the event represented Jammu and Kashmir as being separate from India.