Pritish Menon, a left leaning student leader, has made a sensational allegation that he was beaten up by the ABVP leader, Satender Aawana, after a debate on India News inside the channel’s premises on Monday night.
Taking to Twitter, Menon wrote, “Satender Awana decides to beat me up outside India News TV Studio bcs I spoke agnst ABVP in that debate. So much for Democracy!”
He told The Telegraph, “”When I accused the ABVP of assaulting women, he started shouting, ‘You guys want to divide India’. When we left the studio, he slapped me twice in the newsroom. No one came to help me even after I yelled.”
When contacted, India News’s managing editor, Rana Yashwant, declined to comment on Menon’s allegations.
Menon is currently pursing his MA degree from South Asian University and is associated with the CPIML Liberation-backed AISA.
The debate show in question was hosted by journalist Deepak Chaurasia.
The Left leader’s supporters have now demanded that India News make the CCTV footage of 27 February public to ascertain the truth.
Awana has denied the charges of violence levelled against him.
“Why would I, an experienced ABVP leader, give credence to their (Left activists’) charges by hitting him in public? He tried to provoke me after the show saying, ‘ Tum ABVP waalon se na ho payega (You ABVP people can’t succeed).’ I was the first to leave the building,” he as quoted as saying.
Awana is notorious for issuing threats to his rivals. A video of him threatening his female professor using abusive language, Awana’s video went viral on social media platforms on Monday.
In the video, Awana, a former Delhi University students’ union president, is seen traumatising a lady professor in the presence of Delhi Police.
More recently, on the day the ABVP members had allegedly caused a largescale violence against AISA supporters on the campus of Ramjas College, Awana was seen threatening cops.
Delhi Police reports to the Centre’s BJP government. ABVP is the student wing of the BJP.