Cops enter Madras varsity as students continue protest
Chennai, Dec 17: A section of the students of the Madras University continued their protest for the second day on Tuesday against the amendment to the Citizenship Act, as police entered the campus.
Defiant students said they will continue their agitation "through the night."
While police personnel who entered the campus said they were for the "safety of the students," the protesters alleged two of the students were picked up by police.
Police sources said two students have been called for questioning over allegedly inciting students of affiliated colleges to join the stir at the varsity's Marina campus.
The varsity, according to the about 50 protesting students, has declared holiday till January 2.
"Today they declared holiday till December 23, the university is anyway scheduled to close for Christmas holidays from December 24 till January 2...
...declaring holiday now till December 23 is only to stifle our protest," one of the coordinators and a PG political science student, K Ragu Prasath told PTI.
The coordinator claimed that the two students are "under the custody of the police."
A senior police official told reporters on the campus that they had no intention of forcibly evicting the students from the campus.
"We arrived here following a representation from the varsity authorities and for the safety of students," he said.
Asked if two students have been detained, the official said, "when somebody is called in for inquiry, you cannot call it arrest or detention."
Students, who sat near the main entrance of the sprawling campus, which is just opposite the famous Marina beach, raised slogans against the Centre, the BJP, the RSS and its student body, the ABVP.
"Inquilab zindabad and students unity zindabad," were among the slogans raised.
Seeking withdrawal of the amendment, they dubbed the legislation as the "handiwork of the fascist BJP government."
As time rolled by, police reduced the strength of its personnel inside the campus and moved out police vans.
After waiting in vain till 9 pm for the students to disperse, top varsity officials left for the day and police closed the gates of the university.
The Madras University is one of the oldest in the country and students of the varsity are among others in Tamil Nadu who have been protesting against the CAA.
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He's crazy person: Himanta on Rahul alleging Assam CM misused state power to harass opponents
Bhubaneswar (PTI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma threw a "crazy person" barb at Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday after the Congress leader accused him of "abusing state power to harass his political opponents and critics".
Sarma, who arrived at the airport here before proceeding to Puri to pray at the Jagannath Temple, challenged Gandhi to make his passport details public and reveal which countries the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha had visited.
His scathing remarks came after Gandhi termed Sarma "most corrupt in the country" and said the Congress stood with Pawan Khera, who has alleged that the Assam CM's wife has multiple passports and offshore properties, which were not declared in the chief minister's election affidavit.
The Sarmas have rejected the allegations as false.
In a post on X, Gandhi alleged, "The present CM of Assam is the most corrupt in the country. He will not escape the law. His abuse of state power to harass his political opponents and critics is against the Constitution."
"The questions that are being raised have to be probed. Transparency, accountability of power and the rule of law are the basis of our Constitutional values. The Congress stands with Pawan Khera. We will not be intimidated," he has said.
Responding to reporters' questions over Gandhi's remarks, Sarma said, "Let me make it very clear, neither I nor any member of my family has a golden visa, as alleged. Rahul Gandhi is a crazy person."
"I challenge Rahu Gandhi to present his passport in front of the media, and I will bring mine and those of my family members. Let the media know who is visiting which country," Sarma said.
The Assam chief minister also said that Rahul Gandhi "is not God". "If I make allegations against him, will he be ready for a probe into those? He should know that others, too, have the right to ask him questions."
Asked about the Supreme Court staying the Telangana High Court's order granting Kehra one-week transit anticipatory bail in the case registered for levelling allegations against Sarma's wife, the BJP leader said he was not aware of it.
"However, according to me, the Telangana High Court cannot grant transit bail to Khera as he is not a resident of that state. The law will take its own course," Sarma said.
The senior BJP leader said he would join his party's election campaign in West Bengal from Thursday.
Later, in a post on X, he said, "On Assamese New Year, offered my prayers to Mahaprabhu Jagannath for Assam's continued peace and progress." Along with the post, he also shared a video of his visit to the temple.
