Bengaluru, February 24 (NationPress) - Unrest erupted at Azim Premji University in Sarjapur on Tuesday evening following accusations from members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) that a student group was planning an "anti-national" seminar focused on Jammu and Kashmir.

The university has made it clear that it did not authorize any such event.

A contingent of ABVP activists broke onto the campus by forcibly opening the gates, chanting slogans and organizing protests both inside and outside the university grounds.

The demonstrators caused damage to property, defaced the university's main sign with ink, and left graffiti that read "Ban SPARK" on walls throughout the campus. They demanded disciplinary action against the seminar's organizers and called for the banning of the student collective.

The activists held up posters denouncing the seminar and brandished both the national flag and ABVP banners. They conducted a sit-in within the university, with ABVP banners claiming that the protest was aimed at anti-national separatist forces in Bengaluru.

According to the ABVP, the controversy arose from a planned event by a student collective named SPARK commemorating the anniversary of the Kunan Poshpora incident of February 23, 1991.

The ABVP asserted that the intended seminar was offensive towards the Indian Army and advanced separatist ideologies. Protesters also claimed that the event depicted Jammu and Kashmir as being separate from India.

In response to the situation, Bengaluru Rural SP Chandrakanth M.V. announced that several protesters had been taken into preventive custody, with all necessary measures implemented to maintain public order.

He noted that an investigation into the incident is currently in progress.

In a press release, the university stated that the group had "forcibly entered the campus," damaged property, and assaulted security personnel and students. The incident was promptly reported to the Sarjapura police, who acted quickly to detain those involved.

"Azim Premji University did not sanction any event of this nature. The university adheres to strict protocols for event authorization. This event, allegedly organized by a small faction of students, did not take place at all," the statement emphasized.

Condemning the violence, the university expressed its strong disapproval of the actions taken by the external group that invaded the campus and caused property damage and disruption.

Further investigations are ongoing to clarify the circumstances surrounding the protest and the alleged seminar.