posted by James Turley

It seems our brothers and sisters around the world have been awfully busy these last couple of days. And not without good reason – in the Indian province of Uttar Pradesh, the most populous region in India (and, indeed, most populous of all its analogues – US states, etc – in the world), the corrupt President Mayawati Kumari has issued an order closing down student union elections. Enraged local students embarked on a mini-riot in response to this contemptible infringement of democracy, as well they might.

India eNews has a good article on the background, while Indian ISP Sify.com reports on the protest:

Students go on a rampage in Uttar Pradesh
Saturday, 08 September , 2007, 22:38
Lucknow: Students went on a rampage across Uttar Pradesh on Saturday to protest Chief Minister Mayawati’s decision to ban student union elections. Angry students organised protest marches and set several vehicles on fire.

A police spokesperson said that over 150 students had been taken into custody during the protests.

Students torched three vehicles and damaged a bus in the town of Ballia. Over two dozen students were taken into custody in Basti town while they were holding a demonstration to protest the government’s decision.

A large number of students protested at Ayodhya and Faizabad. In Varanasi, incidents of stone pelting were reported from several places and students even damaged buses.

Over 40 students were detained at Ferozabad after they participated in a procession to protest the decision. Security personnel were deployed across the state to prevent any untoward incident, said official sources.

In Gorakhpur, a bandh call by students evoked a mixed response with a majority of shops and other business establishments remaining shut. Students burnt Mayawati’s effigy at several places and shouted anti-government slogans demanding immediate withdrawal of the order.

Tension also gripped the Lucknow University campus where students sat on a dharna to register their protest. Police in riot gear were deployed in and around the varsity campus and at the vice-chancellor’s residence to prevent any untoward incident, police sources said.

http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14523738&vsv=SHGTslot2