Rajkot: The removal of photographs of Scheduled Caste students from a notice board at the library of Krantiguru Shyamji Krishna Verma Kutch University in Bhuj has resulted in a police complaint, with a 28-year-old computer science student accusing a few persons of deliberately targeting the students because of their caste.The complaint was filed at Bhuj B Division police station under Sections 196 and 54 of the BNS and provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against Purvadeepsinh Jadeja, Mayursinh and security guard Mudrika Singh, among others.According to the complaint, the student has been studying computer science at Kutch university for the past one-and-a-half months and regularly uses the university library to prepare for competitive examinations.On July 20, the GPSC announced the results of the DYSO (legal) examination. The complainant’s friends, Ketan Maheshwari and Jay Yadav, secured the first and sixth ranks respectively at the state level.The university library displays photographs of students who achieve success in govt jobs or competitive examinations on its notice board as a source of encouragement. Their photographs were also put up following the declaration of the DYSO (legal) results.The complainant alleged that CCTV footage from night of Aug 18 showed Jadeja removing the photographs of Maheshwari and Yadav from the notice board as the library was closing. Security guard Mudrika Singh was allegedly present behind him, while Mayursinh was also allegedly at the spot.On Aug 19, the students informed the librarian about the missing photographs.The complainant further alleged that Jadeja had shown Ketan Maheshwari’s photograph to a hostel security guard and instructed him not to allow Maheshwari to enter the hostel.The complainant further alleged that the photographs were removed despite the accused being aware that the students belonged to a Scheduled Caste, and claimed that the act was motivated by caste-based prejudice and ill intent. Police have registered the complaint and are investigating the allegations.
