ABVP members and office bearers of the Allahabad University student union on Wednesday protested against senior journalist Siddharth Varadarajan’s arrival at the campus to meet the VC and held him hostage for around half an hour. 

Varadarajan had gone to the university along with AU student union president Richa Singh to meet VC RL Hangloo, after he was refused permission by AU authorities to address a symposium at the Senate hall of the Arts campus. 

This was following a protest by four office-bearers of AU student union, who considered Varadarajan to be pro-naxal and anti-national.

Varadarajan subsequently spoke at Swaraj Bhavan, outside the varsity campus.

But after he arrived at the VC’s office, protesting ABVP members and office-bearers of the AU student union prevented him from leaving the office for almost half an hour, and the matter was resolved only after the intervention of the police.

ABVP member Yashwant Singh Rana said, “This journalist is pro-naxal and speaks the language of anti-nationals, so he should not be allowed to speak or enter AU campus. If Yogi Adityanath was not allowed to enter or speak inside the varsity campus, why is this journalist allowed to enter the campus.”