ABVP workers booked for attack on professor over pro-peace Facebook post

Vijayapura, Mar 7: Police have booked six miscreants belonging to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the students’ wing of BJP, for forcing Assistant Professor Sandeep Wathar of Dr PG Halkatti College of Engineering and Technology to kneel down following his social media comments on India-Pakistan tension.

The accused have been identified as Sachin Bagewadi, Kamalesh Sahukar, Vinod Manivaddar, Basavaraj Lagali, Sachin Kolur and Santosh Chaudhary.  The APMC police in Vijayapura registered an FIR against them based on a video which shows Wathar being forced to apologise.

Wathar claimed that he also received threat calls from unidentified people. He told newsmen that his parents have been disturbed by the incident for the last four days and his mother is still in shock.

“I have filed a complaint because I want to teach them a lesson. I have not posted any anti-national or provocative statements”, he said. He alleged that a few members of the ABVP have been causing “nuisance” at his college ever since he posted his comments on social media.

Wathar, who was on a two-day leave after incident returned to college only on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the college administration has formed a five-member committee to look into the incident.

College principal V P Huggi said, “We will summon Wathar before committee within two days. We have framed questions based on the incident... We have also sought legal opinion on taking action against the assistant professor”.

Wathar said, “I still defend my post as I have not written against the nation. I sought peace between the two countries  (India and Pakistan).”

He further added, “I want to interact with those who staged the protest against me. I want to take classes on nationalism. I am happy that my family, colleagues, friends, and students supported me. I do not know whether any complaint has registered against me in any of the police stations.”