Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Oct 3: Tensions flared on the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus on Thursday evening after a Durga idol-immersion procession reportedly came under attack near the Sabarmati T-Point, sparking a heated blame game between the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Left-affiliated student organisations.
According to the ABVP, members of Left student groups — including the All India Students’ Association (AISA), the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), and the Democratic Students’ Federation (DSF) — “violently attacked” the procession around 7 pm. They alleged that stones were pelted, abusive language was used, and several male and female students were injured during the incident.
ABVP JNU president Mayank Panchal termed the incident “not just an attack on a religious event but a direct attack on the university’s festive tradition and the faith of the students”. ABVP’s JNU minister Praveen Piyush added that “attacking female students during a sacred ritual like Durga Visarjan is condemnable and shameful”, urging the administration to take strict action against the culprits.
While JNUSU joint secretary Vaibhav Meena condemned the violence as “a direct assault on the cultural harmony and brotherhood of the university”, the Left organisations rejected the ABVP’s accusations.
The AISA, in a sharp rebuttal, accused the ABVP of “using religion for political propaganda” through its Ravan Dahan programme. The group alleged that the ABVP was depicting former JNU students Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam — both under trial in cases related to the anti-CAA protests and the Delhi riots conspiracy — as Ravan.
Calling it “a blatant and dastardly display of Islamophobia”, the AISA questioned why the ABVP had not chosen figures such as Nathuram Godse, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, or others accused of inciting violence during the 2020 Delhi riots.
“JNU rejects the politics of hate and Islamophobia,” the AISA said in its statement, appealing to students to “stand up against the divisive politics of RSS-ABVP”.
The JNU administration has yet to respond to the allegations. Meanwhile, both sides have accused each other of attempting to “destabilise the campus” and “distort its cultural environment”, leaving the university community on edge.