Dhadingbesi, March 1
Three students sustained injuries in an alleged attack at Jaya Bageshwari Campus in Malekhu, Dhading district, on Wednesday. Sujata Bhatta of ANNISU-R (Prachanda), student wing of the ruling CPN-Maoist Centre, has sutained serious injuries in the attack that has led to indefinite postponement of Free Student Union elections. Bhatta has been referred to Neuro Hospital in Kathmandu.
How the attack took place?
According to Yadav Gajurel, Dhading district in-charge of ANNISU-R, cadres of the CPN-UML-aligned student wing, ANNFSU, hurled bricks and caused injuries to ANNISU-R activists. Gajurel said Bhatta has sustained serious head injuries in the attack. Susma Rupakheti and Parvati Sedhai have received minor injuries.
At the campus, Nepali Congress-aligned Nepal Student Union and ANNISU-R (Prachanda) had formed a joint panel for FSU polls. From this panel, Susmita Tamang was a contender for the position of president of FSU Jaya Bageshwari campus chapter.
ANNFSU and student wing of Naya Shakti Nepal had formed another panel for FSU polls. This panel had Sushil Kandel as candidate for the post of president.
Student unions had a running dispute over FSU election code of conduct. It is reported that ANNFSU had demanded allowing all 23 teachers of the campus entry into campus premises during the polls. This is said to have deepened the dispute.
Gajurel told Onlinekhabar: ANNFSU had brought in youths from villages and kept them in hotels, but we did not utter a word. But when it demanded that all 23 teachers be allowed entry to campus premises, we objected and proposed entrusting Election Committee with conduct of FSU polls. But they rejected this proposal.
After that, according to Gajurel, ANNISU-R locked the campus’ main gate. It requested campus administration to help resolve the dispute. When ANNFSU tried to break open the gate on Wednesday mrning, cadres from ANNISU-R and NSU tried to stop them. It was at this point that ANNFSU allegedly rained bricks on rivals.
After the incident, an all-party meeting decided to postpone FSU elections in the campus indefinitely.
