The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has come out in support of a Lucknow University (LU) professor who was heckled by ABVP supporters for making remarks on the Kashi Vishwanath Temple during a debate on social media. Professor Ravi Kant, a Dalit, was threatened by ABVP activists on the LU campus on Tuesday for allegedly hurting Hindu religious sentiments. An ABVP student leader has also lodged an FIR against the professor.
AAP has questioned why the police has not registered an FIR on Kant's complaint against the students, while it promptly registered a complaint against him on the students' application. An AAP delegation also met Kant at his residence on Thursday evening and later issued a statement that no compromise can be made on the right to freedom and speech of the professor. The party has now demanded adequate security for the professor and his family and registration of FIR against those who have been named by the teacher in his complaint.