Bengaluru, 26 Feb

The Student Council of Azim Premji University on Thursday slammed the varsity for registering an FIR against members of the SPARK Reading Circle after members of the ABVP stormed and vandalised the campus.

The university registrar had earlier filed a police complaint against the reading group, alleging that it had not authorised the discussion on the alleged mass rape of Kashmiri women in Kunan Poshpor by the Indian Army on 23 February, 1991.

This discussion had prompted Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activists to storm the university and spray ink over the name plates, alleging the students were promoting separatism and were against insulting the Indian Army.

In its FIR, the registrar sought to identification of people operating the Instagram page named “Spark Reading Circle, APU” and requested that appropriate legal action be taken against them. It alleged that they had shared the post about the event, despite obtaining no written permission for the event.

However, the student council said it was particularly concerned about what it described as an "asymmetry in outcomes" following recent events on the campus.

"Those who entered this campus uninvited, caused physical harm to members of our community, and damaged university property have been granted bail and face bailable charges. Meanwhile, our students who organised a peaceful gathering, whatever the procedural lapses, are now subject to a non-bailable offence under Section 299," the statement said.

The council said theUniversity's education actively encourages critical engagement with history, politics, and social justice.

"We are taught to ask hard questions, and have considered the University to be a safe space for open discussions. For the administration to respond to students doing exactly that with a criminal FIR undermines the very intellectual freedom this institution is founded on," it added.