Sikh student assaulted, ‘turban knocked off’ during DUSU poll nominations

PTI New Delhi: A case of hurting religious sentiments has been made out against a student of Delhi University’s Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College for allegedly assaulting and knocking off the turban of a Sikh student during a pre-election brawl Sunday.The Delhi Police have booked Sajan Tomar on the complaint of secondyear undergraduate, Pavit Singh Gujral, who said he was assaulted on his way to file the nomination papers of his batchmates for the Delhi University Students Union elections, due to be held on 27 September. Tomar is absconding. The police have registered an FIR, charging Tomar and his accomplices under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 299 (performing deliberate and malicious acts, intending to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt) and 351(2) (criminal intimidation) and 3 (5) (which establishes joint criminal liability when two or more individuals act with a common intention).

ThePrint has seen the FIR. A purported video of the attack has gone viral on social media. Gujral’s lawyer, Manmohan Singh Narula, told The- Print that certain former students attempted to block others from joining the poll process as they wanted their candidates to be elected unopposed. Gujral tried to stop this, he said.Narula said Gujral—the outgoing general secretary of the college’s student union—was dragged by the hair and his turban thrown to the ground. Deputy Commissioner (North Delhi) Manoj Kumar Meena said a team had been formed to catch the accused, and that his arrest would reveal who else was involved. What does FIR say? Gujral’s complaint, quoted in the FIR, says that Tomar and his accomplices “forcibly removed my turban and my kesh (hair) was pulled… My T-shirt was torn and I was attacked by his (Tomar’s) group”. H e also requested security from the Delhi Police, saying he was feeling unsafe on campus. Gujral requested criminal proceedings under sections 299 (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 118 (grievous hurt) of the BNS.

Notably, the process for the student union elections at the Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College started only after the Delhi High Court Friday gave interim relief to students who had challenged the college management’s decision to dissociate itself from the polls. The two student petitioners said the college management did this on the direction of the parent body, the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC). The high court paved the way for elections while issuing notices to three colleges— Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College, Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Khalsa College and Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce – asking them to respond to the petitions filed. The students alleged that the college management had violated “the principles of natural justice and democratic participation” by unilaterally opting out of the election process.