Joint Statement by All JNU Organisations on Disruption of JNUSU Election Counting Process by ABVP
Condemn ABVP’s Hooliganism During JNUSU Election Counting Process!
Unite Against Every Attempt by ABVP to Disrupt Conducting of the Counting!
Counting for the JNUSU Elections 2018-19 has been suspended by the Election Committee (EC) following violence by the ABVP members who physically attacked and injured EC members and indulged in vandalism.
Late night on Friday, the EC made announcements calling for candidates to send their counting agents for central panel votes from the combined schools (science schools and smaller schools). ABVP did not send counting agents even after the last call was made. Long after sealed ballot boxes were opened and counting began, ABVP demanded that its agents be allowed in, and resorted to violence.
As per established norms and convention, nobody other than EC members are allowed inside the counting station once counting begins. It must be noted the same rule was applied to the counting agents for the post of Councilors from the United Left for the School of Language, Literature and Cultural Studies, who could not be present on time. The EC’s decision was accepted by the candidates and agents.
But ABVP refused to follow rules that are applicable to everyone. They broke the door of SIS-I building where counting is happening, and the barricades in front. They manhandled the guards on duty, snatched phones from people who were video recording and also assaulted some of the journalists who were present there. The joint secretary candidate from ABVP even started threatening that he won’t let the election process to proceed. These acts of vandalising public property and attacking the students, EC members and guards are nothing but the reflection of their frustration of being rejected by the student community.
ABVP members such as Saurabh Sharma, Raghavendra Mishra, Akhilesh Pathak and some ABVP candidates like Lalit Pandey (ABVP Presidential candidate) and Venkat Choubey (ABVP Joint Secretary Candidate) entered the SIS-I building, broke glasses of doors and barged into the rooms were counting was taking place. After this, they laid siege to the rooms and prevented anybody from entering or leaving the rooms. They even tried to capture the ballots, which the EC managed to prevent. They manhandled and injured some EC members.
The ABVP’s acts constitute a serious violation of the election process. The ABVP by indulging in violence has not only disrupted the counting process but also sought to undermine the sanctity of the student EC whose decision is abided by all organisations.
We, the undersigned organisations, demand:
That the ABVP members- Saurabh Sharma, Raghavendra Mishra, Akhilesh Pathak, and others vacate the counting venue immediately to allow the election process to continue.
Tabrez Hasan, AISA
Saket Moon, DSF
Manju Priya, BAPSA
Deepali Aparajita, SFI
Arvind Kumar Yadav, CRJD
Aparajitha. R, AISF
Lijy. K. Babu, NSUI
Waseem RS, SIO
Heba Ahmed, YFDA
Basit Abubakr, BASO
Shahana Parveen, MSF
Udita Halder, Collective
Also read:
JNUSU polls: Counting stopped after attempt of ballot capture
