New Delhi: Several students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi were injured in a clash between members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Left-backed groups on Thursday night.
The altercation, allegedly triggered by disagreements over the selection of election committee members at the School of Languages, quickly took a violent turn. Some injured students have been admitted to the Safdarjung Hospital, PTI reported.
Vice-chancellor Santishree D Pandit has assured stringent action against those involved, irrespective of their political affiliation.
Students from both ABVP and left-backed groups have filed police complaints against each other. “We have received complaints from both sides,” Delhi Police said, adding that three persons have been injured.
A viral video clip of the incident on X, showing a man thrashing students with a stick, has gone viral. Some more videos on individuals being beaten up by a group is also doing the rounds.
VIDEO | A clash broke out between ABVP and Left-backed groups at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi, on Thursday night. The ruckus was over the selection of election committee members at the School of Languages.
(Source: Third Party) pic.twitter.com/vQV991KaIe
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 1, 2024
“On the last day of the General Body Meeting at the School of Languages, ABVP resorted to another round of violence at the end of the meeting. Initially attempting to disrupt the selection process for the election committee, the ABVP resorted to violence against students when thwarted by JNU students,” the All India Students Association (AISA) claimed in a statement.
AISA said that ABVP members, under the leadership of one Kanhaiya Kumar, engaged in physical aggression against students after their efforts to disrupt the selection process were foiled. The Left-wing student organisation also accused ABVP members of indiscriminately targeting and assaulting students.
“They singled out the Muslim students and opposed whenever any Muslim student propose their names for upcoming election committee. They also vitiated the atmosphere of school GBM premises by threatening students, with sexist and casteist slurs,” AISA told the media.
ABVP JNU President Umesh Chandra Ajmeera, in turn, accused Left-leaning students of trying to manipulate the election process during the GBM. He asserted that objections were raised by students from the School of Languages, resulting in suspension of the entire process for three-four hours.
“Aishe Ghosh (JNU president) and Danish (AISF member) said contradictory things. Students were raising objections…Demands were being made to disclose the names, withdraw those names, and have selection through a free and fair process. The Left students started heckling amid this and attacked students by using ‘dafli’ as weapons,” Ajmeera added.
“The open rigging in the counting of votes and imposition of self-made rules is a manifestation of autocracy akin to the system of Politburo,” the ABVP said in a statement.
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