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JNU Clash: A Durga idol-immersion procession and the Ravan Dahan event at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) was allegedly attacked by a group of students on Thursday. The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) accused Left-affiliated student groups of targeting the procession. However, the Left student fronts refuted the allegations, saying the ABVP were using religion for political propaganda through a Ravan Dahan programme. According to the AISA, the Ravan Dahan effigy featured former JNU students Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam (both under trial in cases relating to anti-CAA protests and the Delhi riots conspiracy) to provoke students. In a viral video, the duo are seen as Ravana.

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Several Students Injured: ABVP

The JNU administration did not issue any response to the reports of a clash on the campus. The Left groups, including the AISA, SFI and DSF, violently attacked the immersion procession near the Sabarmati T-Point around 7 pm, said the ABVP, claiming that several male and female students were injured in stone-pelting and abused.

"This is not just an attack on a religious event, but a direct attack on the university's festive tradition and the faith of the students. The ABVP will not tolerate such cultural aggression at any cost," said ABVP JNU president Mayank Panchal.

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Stone-pelting and even attacking female students during a sacred ritual like Durga Visarjan is condemnable and shameful, alleged ABVP JNU minister Praveen Piyush, demanding strict action from the administration. JNU Students' Union (JNUSU) joint secretary Vaibhav Meena also criticised the attack, saying it was "a direct assault on the cultural harmony and brotherhood of the university".

Left Groups Reject Allegations

On the other hand, the Left-affiliated All India Students' Association (AISA) rejected the charges, accusing the ABVP of "using religion for political propaganda".

In a statement, the AISA said the ABVP was organising a Ravan Dahan, in which former JNU students Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam -- both under trial in cases relating to anti-CAA protests and the Delhi riots conspiracy -- were being depicted as Ravan. "This is a blatant and dastardly display of Islamophobia, exploiting religious sentiments to harvest political benefits," the AISA said.

It asked the ABVP why had it not chosen figures such as Nathuram Godse, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh or leaders accused of inflammatory speeches during the 2020 Delhi riots. "JNU rejects the politics of hate and Islamophobia," the AISA statement said, calling upon students to "stand up against the divisive politics of RSS-ABVP". Both sides traded charges over what they described as attempts to "destabilise the campus" and "distort its cultural environment".
(With PTI Inputs)