Senior journalist Siddharth Varadarajan along with Allahabad University student union president Richa Singh was held hostage for around half an hour inside the office of AU VC, RL Hangloo when the senior journalist went to meet the VC at his office on Wednesday. This was after ABVP members and office bearers of AU student union started protesting against his entering the varsity campus and forced him to stay inside only to allow his access to leave the campus after intervention of police.

Earlier, Varadarajan was not allowed to address the symposium at Senate hall of the Arts campus as the AU authorities had withdrawn the permission for holding the symposium at the said venue. The permission was withdrawn following the protest by the four office bearers of AU student union who were of the opinion that Varadarajan is pro-naxal and his ideas are anti-nationalist.