BHU student shouts at convocation attended by PM Modi, detained

Varanasi: At the BHU convocation here, a youth on Monday raised the demand for restoration of students' union at the university and wanted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to listen to him but was detained by police.

The youth, who identified himself as BHU's BA II year student Ashutosh Singh, started started shouting "Modi ji, please listen to the voice of the students community" as soon as the Prime Minister finished his speech and was getting off the stage.

He was immediately whisked away by the police personnel present there.

The commotion apparently did not catch sight of the Prime Minister or other dignitaries accompanying him as the visitors' gallery was a few hundred metres away from the stage.

While being taken out of the Amphitheatre Ground, where the convocation ceremony was held, the youth told reporters "my name is Ashutosh Singh and I am a student of BA II year. I wanted to apprise the PM of the fact that the students' union at BHU was banned long ago and varsity authorities have been reluctant to restore the same."

The policemen who whisked away the youth said he would be "released soon without being booked for any serious crime."

The students' union in BHU was banned about a decade ago after the varsity campus was rocked by violence. The union has thereafter been replaced by a Students' Council, which has office-bearers elected by "representatives" from each class.

A section of students has been, however, demanding restoration of the students' union wherein the president and other office-bearers are elected directly.