On Friday (9th February) night, a scuffle broke out at the Jawaharlal Nehru University between students belonging to Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the Left organisations.
The incident took place during a general body meeting (UGBM) of the varsity, which is organised each year before the student body elections in JNU.
During the meeting, members of all student organisations were present. According to reports, a heated argument ensued between students belonging to the ABVP and leftist organisations (All India Students’ Association and Students’ Federation of India).
Soon after, leftist goons threatened ABVP members to leave the meeting and then proceeded to attack them. According to JNU President Umesh Chandra, they also hurled casteist slurs against tent house workers operating the sound system.
Chandra added that the leftist students also attacked ABVP members with ‘Dafli’. On the other hand, JNU council member Anagha Pradeep claimed that ABVP students ‘disrupted’ the general body meeting (UGBM) and refused to recognise the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) as a legal body.
Members of the ABVP, who were injured during the assault by leftist goons, were admitted to the Safdarjung Hospital for treatment.
In a statement, ABVP stated, “In the heart of Bharat’s educational hub Jawaharlal Nehru University a chilling reality unfolds. What was meant to be a platform for free thought and academic pursuit has turned into a battleground for communist ideological supremacy. ABVP-JNU strongly condemns the attack by leftist goons on common students and ABVP activists during UGBM and demands immediate action against the culprits.”
Reportedly, no police complaint has been filed so far in connection to the incident.