OBC groups back Vice-Chancellor; INLD, JJP leaders demand ouster
The ongoing unrest at Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University (HAU), Hisar, saw a new development on Tuesday when the OBC (Other Backward Classes) community expressed support for university’s Vice-Chancellor BR Kamboj despite growing criticism from Opposition political parties after a police lathi-charge on protesting students.
A meeting of OBC leaders was held at Kamboj Dharamshala in Sirsa where representatives from various OBC sub-groups condemned what they described as attempts to politicise the incident and defame the Vice-Chancellor.
The controversy began after students protesting against scholarship cuts for MSc and PhD programmes were baton-charged by the police on campus. While the university administration reportedly accepted the students’ demands, OBC leaders argue that certain political elements are intentionally prolonging the unrest for their own benefit.
In a show of solidarity, the OBC community has formed a committee to formally represent their stance. The committee plans to submit memorandums to the Deputy Commissioner, addressed to the Chief Minister and Governor of Haryana, requesting a fair inquiry into the incident and the alleged efforts to malign the Vice-Chancellor’s image.
The committee also intends to meet local MLAs and MPs to ensure broader awareness and support. Several notable figures, including former MLA Ramchand Kamboj, Dr KC Kamboj, advocate Vinod Kamboj and other community members, attended the meeting.
They emphasised the need for justice, transparency and restraint, urging all sides to avoid divisive politics.
However, the political backlash against the university administration continues to intensify. Leaders from both the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) have strongly condemned the use of force against the protesting students.
Abhay Chautala, INLD president, today demanded the removal of the Vice-Chancellor, Chief Security Officer and an assistant professor for their alleged failure to stop violence against certain students. Addressing a press conference, Abhay alleged that violence has become a norm in the state with gangsters, some of them operating from abroad, demanding ransom without the fear of the police.
Arjun Chautala, Rania MLA and national in-charge of INLD’s student wing, visited the injured students and launched a scathing attack on the university’s leadership. “The ideology of the HAU administration reflects the colonial era ‘divide-and-rule’ policy,” he said. “There is a deliberate attempt to break student unity, silence their voices and fragment the movement. But perhaps, the administration underestimates the strength of our unity and resolve.”
He further stated that students are not only protesting for their scholarships but are also fighting against what he called “the arrogance of power and the indifference of the intellectual class”. “This is now a battle for existence. It will be remembered in HAU’s history as the day when students stood firm and overcame both oppression and fear.”
Echoing similar sentiments, Digvijay Singh Chautala, secretary general of JJP Haryana, called for the immediate removal of the VC. “The VC has crossed every limit. He has brutally crushed the democratic and fundamental rights of students. Such authoritarian behaviour cannot be tolerated in a democracy,” he said.
Haryana Tribune