Kanhaiya's event venue changed under 'pressure from Sangh parivar'

The venue where Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union leader Kanhaiya Kumar was scheduled to address in the city on Saturday morning has been changed allegedly under "pressure" from Sangh Pariwar constituents, the event organisers claimed on Friday.

The event 'Student Youth Assembly Against Discrimination', which was earlier scheduled to be held at the Janata Shikshan Sanstha in Worli, has now been shifted to Adarsh Vidayalay in Tilak Nagar in Mumbai.

The programme has been organised by a number of Left wing organisations including, Student Federation of India, All India Students' Federation, All India Democratic Students organisations, Purogami Yuvak Sanghathana and Chhatrabharati.

Addressing a press conference here, the organising committee members alleged the change in the venue was due to the "pressure" created by the Sangh Pariwar constituents on the machinery.

"Despite abiding by the required criteria we were denied permission due to pressure from certain quarters as we did not get any written assurance from police for protection," Abhilasha Shrivastava, SFI secretary and member of the event organising committee, said.

"When we decided to hold the programme, we thought that the biggest problem will be the ongoing MumbaiUniversity exams. But during our campaign, we found that that was not an issue. The students were very welcoming. They wanted the leaders of various universities to come over here and interact with them. The problem has been created by police and the government machinery," she added.

Shrivastava further said, "The administration is being pressurised so that student leaders are unable to express their views."

Another member of the event organising committee, Dhanajay Kangude alleged, "The constituents of Sangh Pariwar are threatening organisers through various possible means.

"They pressurised Janata Sikshan Sanstha to get the programme cancelled."

Besides Kanhaiya Kumar, Allahabad University Student Union president Richa Singh, vice-president of JNUSU Shehla Rashid and others will speak on the occasion and advocate Irfan Engineer and Teesta Setalvad will be among those who will remain present there.