The professor appreciated Pakistan for releasing Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman in a Facebook post. He also criticised PM Narendra Modi and called Pakistan an intelligent nation. He deleted the posts after ABVP activists and students staged a protest

VIJAYAPURA: ABVP activists and students forced a professor of the BLDE Engineering College in Karnataka to kneel down and apologise after claiming that he made "anti-national" statements following the IAF strikes in Pakistan's Balakot.

In a Facebook post, Sandeep Wathar, a Left-leaning professor, had praised Pakistan for releasing Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman.

In his post, Wathar also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as the BJP and called Pakistan an intelligent nation.

Wathar was made to delete the posts after angry students and ABVP activists protested against him at the college campus.

In a video circulating on social media, the professor can be seen on his knees and apologising with folded hands in the presence of cops with students shouting in the background.

ABVP leaders Sachin Bagewadi, Kalmesh Sahukar, Vinod Maniwaddar, Basavaraj Lagali and others led the protest against Wathar.

"Being responsible student wing we always stands with National Security, lecturer of particular college gave a Anti National statement which was condemned by student community (sic)," ABVP Karnataka said on Twitter following the incident.

Meanwhile, college authorities said they will meet on Tuesday to discuss the issue and take appropriate action.

The institution where the incident took place is run by Bijapur Lingayat Development Education Society, which is owned by Karnataka home minister and Congress leader M B Patil.