Ganesh Chaturthi procession clash at Gujarat university: 2 students hurt, 8 booked

A violent clash broke out between two groups of students at Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda in Gujarat late on Friday night as two processions to welcome Lord Ganesha ahead of the Ganesh Chaturthi festivities beginning next week came face to face.

Two students were injured, and eight students were booked in two FIRs. “Two simultaneous processions were taken out last night. One was by the students of KM Hall hostel, who have been organising Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations for the past eight years, and another by members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) meant for the SP Hall hostel.

An argument broke out between the two groups. It soon escalated into a physical confrontation, leaving two students injured. Both were taken to SSG Hospital for treatment,” Police Inspector SJ Pandiya told The Indian Express.

“While students of KM Hall had the requisite police permission to carry out the procession, the ABVP did not. In the FIR, we have also invoked the sections for causing grievous hurt and the probe has been initiated,” Pandiya added.

University officials declined to comment on the clash. As per the members of the KM Hall hostel, preparations for the festivities had been underway for several days. LLB student Samaksh Dubey said his group was taking the Ganesh idol procession towards KM Hall when students following them allegedly asked them to move faster and verbally abused them.

“When we tried to push them back, they started pushing and fighting with us. Soon, we were assaulted. We also fought back,” Dubey said. He alleged that the situation turned violent when members of the other group attacked his friends.

Dubey said one of his juniors, Abhishek Giri, and another student sustained serious injuries to their hands and legs and were bleeding. Meanwhile, ABVP member Ashish Solanki alleged that former students, who were no longer studying at MS University, were staying at the KM Hall hostel and organising programmes.

The scuffle began when they were questioned about their involvement, he claimed. "We were performing an aarti when they attacked us, leading to the escalation,” Solanki alleged, adding that one member of his group was injured and taken to SSG Hospital.

The incident comes against the backdrop of a debate over religious activities at the university. On Friday evening, hours before the clash, Jagrut Gadit, Head of the Department of Electrical Engineering in the Faculty of Technology and Engineering, wrote to Vice-Chancellor Professor BM Bhanage questioning what he described as the growing presence of religious rituals on campus.

In his open letter, Gadit urged the university to formulate a policy against religious rituals such as puja, aarti and katha and the open display of religious symbols, images and temples. He argued that a public university should uphold secularism and remain a space for open-minded inquiry.

Gadit’s letter also referred to a Ganesh Utsav invitation he received from students on Friday. He wrote that students from his department had invited him to a Ganesh Utsav planned at a university hostel and sought a donation, which he declined, citing his objections to religious activities on campus.

Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues.

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