Student elections in U'khand marred by clashes, police action

Dehradun: Tensions flared on Friday during the student union elections at Kumaon's largest institution, Moti Ram Baburam Govt Post Graduate College (MBPG), Haldwani, as broke out between ABVP activists and police personnel.The confrontation occurred during an election rally on Nainital Road, where supporters of ABVP and NSUI came face-to-face, leading to scuffles and heated exchanges. The situation escalated quickly, prompting police intervention to disperse the crowds and restore order. College authorities and law enforcement have jointly appealed to students to ensure peaceful conduct throughout the elections.In a separate incident, Manoj Bisht, elected unopposed as deputy secretary ahead of the MBPG elections, was attacked inside the college premises and sustained a head injury. The college secretary has accused student leader Sanjay Joshi and members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) of orchestrating the assault. The circle officer (CO) and station house officer (SHO) arrived promptly, and student leaders have demanded strict action against those responsible.The elections were further marred by allegations of fake voting. NSUI presidential candidate Kamal Bora filed a complaint, after which an investigation revealed that a voter had used a forged ID card. The individual was immediately detained and handed over to the police.In response, the college administration tightened security, implementing a strict voter verification process including real-time ID card scanning. "We are leaving no stone unturned to maintain the integrity of the election," said a senior college official. Kamal Bora warned that he may launch an indefinite hunger strike if electoral malpractice continues. City magistrate Gopal Chauhan assured that polling is being conducted under heavy security. "Any attempts to disrupt the process or engage in fraud will face strict legal action," he said.The student body comprises 13,978 registered voters, with voting continuing under close surveillance. At the Dev Singh Bisht Campus, independent candidate Karan Sati won the president's post, while NSUI secured the women's college in Haldwani with Bhawna Thapa clinching the presidency.Similar clashes were reported from DBS College in Dehradun, where NSUI's Harsh Mohan Rana was elected president and Aryan group's Priyanshu Kotnala became general secretary following confrontations after result declarations. NSUI also swept all six posts at MKP College, with Vipasha Bisht elected president with 181 votes. At DAV PG College, ABVP's Rishabh Malhotra won the president's post, Vishal Kumar became vice-president, and Aryan's Karan Negi secured the secretary's position in an election conducted by an all-female staff led by Chief Election Officer Prof Shashi Kiran Solanki.At HNB Garhwal University's Srinagar campus, ABVP's Mahipal Bisht became president, AISA's Shivank Nautiyal vice-president, and Aryan's Anurodh Purohit general secretary. NSUI recorded major victories at Soban Singh Jeena University's Almora campus and Pt B D Pandey campus in Bageshwar, with Lokesh Supyal defeating ABVP's Deepak Lohani at Almora, and Sagar Joshi winning the presidency in Bageshwar alongside Harshvardhan Pandey as vice-president. In Mussoorie, NSUI's Pravesh Singh Rana was elected president of Municipal PG College, defeating ABVP's Pawan Kumar, while ABVP's Anuj Panwar and Simran Negi of Jaunpur Group won other key posts.Uttarkashi's colleges also saw competitive contests across multiple campuses. At Ramchandra Uniyal Govt PG College, Vinay Mohan of Om Group was elected president with 750 votes, defeating Ashish Kumar who received 445, while Rohit Rana secured vice-president with 764 votes.Shubham Chamoli became secretary, Shalini treasurer, and Ayush was elected university representative, with 60.53% voter turnout from 1,572 students. Rajendra Singh Rawat Govt PG College in Barkot returned Nikita of ABVP as president, Babli Aryan as vice-president, and Dhruv Tamta Aryan as general secretary, while other positions were also filled by ABVP and allied student groups.At BL Juwantha Govt PG College, Purola, independent candidates Govind Singh and Saloni won president and vice-president posts narrowly over ABVP rivals, while ABVP secured secretary, treasurer, and joint secretary positions. At Govt College Chinyalisaur, all office bearers, including Ambika as president and Aryan as university representative, were elected unopposed, with the principal urging them to work for the welfare of students and the institution. in Uttarakhand were held after a gap of nearly a year due to procedural delays and several student agitations. With these results, NSUI has consolidated its presence across multiple campuses, while ABVP faced significant setbacks.(With inputs from Sonali Mishra in Nainital, Yogesh Nagarkoti in Bageshwar, Anmol Jain in Mussoorie, Ashish Mishra in Uttarkashi, and Tanmayee Tyagi in Dehradun)