Tensions escalated late Friday night at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi as a scuffle broke out between RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Left-backed student groups during a meeting regarding the upcoming students’ union polls. Both sides claimed injuries among their members, sparking allegations and counter-allegations amid the chaos.
The confrontation unfolded during the University General Body Meeting (UGBM) at the Sabarmati Dhaba on campus, aimed at selecting members of the Election Commission for the 2024 JNUSU polls. Left-affiliated Democratic Students’ Federation (DSF) accused ABVP members of disrupting the meeting by encroaching upon the dias, heckling council members, and obstructing proceedings.
Videos shared on social media depicted heated exchanges and sloganeering between ABVP and JNU students’ union members, with university security personnel attempting to restore order.
In response, DSF issued a statement accusing ABVP of colluding with the administration to thwart the democratic process.
“In response to the JNU Administration’s announcement of the start of the JNUSU elections for 2023-2024, the ABVP has teamed up with the administration to obstruct the UGBM called by the students and halt the democratic process initiated for the conduct of JNUSU election 2024,” the DSF said in a statement.
The Students’ Federation of India claimed that JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh was attacked by ABVP students.
“Aishe Ghosh, president, JNUSU was heckled and shamelessly attacked by ABVP lumpens. They can be seen throwing water on her. Such disgraceful behaviour against a female student of JNU should not be tolerated at any cost,” a statement said.
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However, ABVP asserted that their members were targeted by Left groups, with accusations of physical assaults and personal vendettas. The right-wing student group claimed that ABVP-JNU secretary Vikas Patel was attacked by DSF activities while another student, Prashanto Bagchi, was thrashed during the ruckus to settle personal scores.
An MA final year student, Prafulla, was attacked with a sharp weapon, the ABVP alleged. It further alleged that a differently-abled student supporting their group was beaten by Left-wing students. The situation worsened as ABVP accused Left-led parties of instigating disruptions after failing to prevent the UGBM from proceeding.
Shifting the blame on the Left groups for the disruption, the ABVP said in a statement, “Today, the all-party organised a University General Body Meeting at Sabarmati ground at 9.30 pm. At first JNUSU had passed casteist slurs to the mic and sound workers as they did not want ABVP to participate in the UGBM.”
“The workers felt humiliated and backed off. However, ABVP activists talked to them and influenced them to not take away the mic and sound system. When the Left-led parties (AISA, SFI, DSF and many more) saw that the UGBM will take place anyhow, they tried to disturb the GBM. However, the ABVP failed all their tactics. At last, they started beating ABVP activists,” it added.
A large number of students assembled at the Sabarmati Dhaba on the campus to participate in voting for electing members of the EC at the UGBM. Earlier on Friday, the JNUSU had obtained the required quorum (signatures from students amounting to 1/10th of the university’s strength) to initiate the UGBM process.