Jailed student writes letter to Adityanath, invokes Bhagat Singh

Students, jailed for showing black flags to Yogi Adityanath on his visit to Lucknow University, invoked Bhagat Singh to justify their protest against the chief minister. 

In the letter, Pooja Shukla one of the jailed student, said, "Our protest was democratic...If the Government thinks that by extending our incarceration term, they can break our resolve, then they are wrong. We are followers oif Bhagat Singh, we are not even scared of noose."

On June 10, a Lucknow court denied bail to 11 college students, including two girls, who allegedly blocked the convoy of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanathi and showed him black flags on June 7.

Eight of these students have also been suspended by the Lucknow University on charge of breaching security of the chief minister's convoy, when he was on his way to attend a programme in the varsity.

The court observed that the offence was of serious nature and, hence, the applicants did not deserve bail.

On June 8, Chief Judicial Magistrate Sandhya Srivastava had sent the 11 students to four days judicial remand. The court had summoned the entire case diary on Friday for considering bail pleas of the students.

Meanwhile, the Lucknow University said that eight students have been suspended and debarred from all student facilities in the university in the wake of the "security breach" of the chief minister's convoy.

"The names of suspended students are: Satwant Singh, Nitin Raj, Pooja Shukla, Anil Kumar Yadav, Ankit Kumar Singh, Rakesh Kumar, Madhurya Singh and Apoorva Verma," NK Pandey director, Information, Publication and Public Relation, University of Lucknow said.

As Yogi's cavalcade moved towards the Lucknow university, where he was invited as the chief guest in a programme on Chhatrapati Shivaji, activists from Samajwadi Party Chatra Sabha and other student groups squatted on the road and showed black flags.

The local police had a tough time controlling the workers who also raised slogans against the chief minister, Governor Ram Naik, who is also the Chancellor of the university, and Lucknow district administration.

The activists alleged that a BJP programme was being held at the expense of the university and students.