Varanasi, Dec 3 (IANS) The Banaras Hindu University (BHU) turned into a veritable security encampment late Tuesday night after a heated confrontation between students and the university’s Proctorial Board rapidly devolved into a violent clash, reportedly involving heavy stone-pelting.

The trouble started at the Birla Hostel complex, where a group of students had been staging a protracted dharna to press a set of unfulfilled demands, sources confirmed.

Tensions reached a flashpoint when the Proctorial Board reportedly attempted to disperse or negotiate with the protesting students.

Eyewitness accounts suggest the verbal altercation quickly escalated into a physical confrontation.

During the melee, groups of agitating students allegedly resorted to heavy stone-pelting, targeting the security personnel and members of the Proctorial Board.

However, initial reports did not confirm the exact number or their severity of injuries, but immediate high-alert security measures ensued.

The entire BHU campus was brought under an unprecedented security blanket just after the outbreak of violence, with multiples of units of local police and paramilitary forces, including the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC), being quickly deployed.

Essentially, the campus grounds have been effectively turned into a “cantonment”, especially around the main gates and the Birla Hostel area, in order to prevent further escalation.

The university administration has refused to disclose the exact nature of the students’ demands, which initially led to the protest, and also the immediate cause of the flare-up of violence.

The situation still is far from calm and remains very volatile with high tension pervading the prestigious Central university.

The officials are closely monitoring the situation in order to trace the students who indulged in the stone-pelting incident and restore normalcy on the campus.

After the gang rape of an IIT-BHU student last year, security on campus has been tightened. Multiple barriers have been put up, and after 10 p.m., neither students nor outsiders are allowed to cross certain routes.

The IIT administration said that these restrictions are for student safety.

But many BHU students have been opposing the move, claiming the barriers create unnecessary problems in moving in and out of the campus.

On Sunday night, tension flared when IIT students returning to their campus were stopped at Birla intersection.

Some students allegedly asked them if they were from IIT, leading to an argument. One student was slapped, and the dispute quickly turned violent.

Both sides clashed fiercely until police intervened and dispersed the crowd.

Angered by the incident, students of IIT’s Rajputana Hostel came out in protest. When police blocked their march towards Birla Hostel, they headed instead to the Director’s Office and staged a sit-in.

Upon learning about the protest, Director Professor Amit Patra reached out at 4 a.m. and assured the students that their concerns would be addressed.

He also promised tighter security on the campus.

The students put forward three demands: security on the IIT campus should be strengthened; proper medical care must be given to the injured students; and strict action should be taken against those involved in the clash.

–IANS

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