Several JNU students injured as Left, ABVP Members clash over non-veg food on Ram Navami
New Delhi, Apr 11: Two groups of students clashed at the Jawaharlal Nehru University's Kaveri Hostel here on Sunday allegedly over serving of non-vegetarian food in the mess on Ram Navami, with police saying six students were injured in the incident.
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The
two
groups,
however,
claimed
that
over
60
students
were
injured
from
both
sides.
The
Left-controlled
JNU
Students' Union
(JNUSU)
and
RSS-affiliated
Akhil
Bharatiya
Vidyarthi
Parishad
accused
each
other
of
pelting
stones
and
injuring
their
members.
The
Left
outfits
claimed
about
50
of
their
members
were
injured,
while
the
ABVP
said
their
10-12
activists
were
hurt.
Several purported videos of the violence surfaced on social media, with one them showing Akhtarista Ansari, a second year MA student of Sociology, bleeding from the head. Officials have not confirmed the authenticity of the videos.
The JNUSU also alleged that the "ABVP members" stopped the mess vendor from supplying chicken and attacked him in the afternoon.
However, the right-wing ABVP denied the charge and claimed that "Leftists" obstructed a Ram Navami puja in the hostel.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Manoj C told PTI that a total of six students have received injuries and have been sent to a hospital. "There is no violence as of now. We are all positioned here with our team. On the request of the university, we have come here. We are trying to maintain peace," he said around 9.30 pm.
"Presently, the situation is peaceful. Both student groups are protesting peacefully. Appropriate legal action will be taken on receipt of a complaint. The situation is peaceful," the senior police officer added.
The JNUSU alleged that the ABVP, the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), used "muscle power and goondaism" to create a ruckus, manhandled the mess staff and asked them not to prepare any non-vegetarian item.
"They
were
forcing
and
attacking
the
mess
committee
to
change
the
dinner
menu
and
exclude
the
usual
non-vegetarian
items
from
it
for
all
students,"
it
alleged.
"JNU
and
its
hostels
are
meant
to
be
inclusive
spaces
for
all
and
not
one
particular
section,"
it
said.
A
student
alleged
that
the
ABVP
members
asked
the
Kaveri
Hostel
mess
committee
not
to
prepare
non-vegetarian
food
for
the
dinner,
but
the
members
refused
to
comply,
saying
students
have
the
choice
to
have
non-vegetarian
or
vegetarian
food
on
Sundays.
"In the evening, when the mess committee members were having a meeting with the mess manager, ABVP activists barged inside and started attacking them with (Ram Navami) flag stick. Later, residents of Kaveri Hostel sent an SOS message to student office-bearers who reached there but were attacked with stones and sticks," he said.
Madhurima Kundu, All India Students' Association Delhi president, said, "In the afternoon, they attacked the mess vendor who had come to supply chicken. "On Sundays, students have the option to choose between vegetarian and non-vegetarian food across all hostels. Around 7.45 pm, they came inside the mess and first attacked students with fists and then with items they could find inside," she alleged.
"Students started running towards the main gate to save themselves but ABVP activists picked up flower pots, sticks to attack students. I was hit on the head and near the eye while Akhtarista Ansari, a second year MA student of Sociology, was hit on the head. She lost vision for a few moments," she claimed.
Another student of JNU, Jahanvi Sodha, who claimed to be unaffiliated uploaded a video on social media saying, "I am a witness to what happened."
"In the evening, students came to the Kaveri Hostel mess and saw that the ABVP activists were already present there. They were hurling abuses and in response, some women students called them ''cowards'' (darpok). They were so enraged that they started attacking the women by throwing water coolers and when they started to escape, the ABVP activists hurled stones and broke the glass doors of the mess. Women students were severely injured," she has said in the video.
The ABVP, however, rejected JNUSU's allegations and claimed that "Leftists" disrupted a puja and havan organised by some unaffiliated students at 3:30 pm at the Kaveri Hostel on the occasion of Ram Navami.
"The Leftists came to object, obstruct and prevent the puja. They have created a false ruckus on the issue of Right to Food, (Non-Vegetarian Food)," they said.
The ABVP said that posters of the puja had been put up three days ago and since then, members of the Left and the Congress-affiliated National Students' Union of India were threatening and saying they won't allow the puja to be held.
"There is no angle of the non-veg food. Ten to 12 activists of ABVP have been left injured. When students were coming out after the puja, they were caught unawares as student from the Left outfits started pelting stones and attacking us with sticks," said the ABVP.
After
the
violence,
both
the
sides
took
out
protest
marches
to
action
against
each
other.
Police
denied
allegations
of
being
a
mute
spectator
at
the
spot
and
said
as
soon
as
they
received
a
PCR
call,
they
rushed
with
their
teams
and
ensured
that
no
further
escalation
of
violence.
Late on Sunday night, members from both parties went to police station and demanded FIRs to be registered based on their complaints.
"We have assured the students that their complaints will be taken note of and accordingly we will take appropriate legal actions," a senior police official said. The incident brought back the memories of January 5, 2020 violence on the campus when a mob of masked men had stormed the campus and targeted students at three hostels.
At
least
28
people,
including
JNU
Students'
Union
president
Aishe
Ghosh,
were
injured
as
chaos
reigned
on
the
campus
for
nearly
two
hours.
Kavita
Krishnan
of
the
CPIML
said
in
a
tweet
on
Sunday,
"In
JNU
ABVP
has
again
badly
attacked
&
injured
students
who
ate
non-veg
food
in
hostel
messes.
I'm
informed
@madhurimak
&
@AktaristaAnsari
are
injured
&
bleeding.
@nsaibalaji
is
also
hurt.
@DelhiPolice
Vasant
Vihar
SHO
was
present
but
none
of
the
attackers
has
been
arrested."