JNU: Left, ABVP trade blame after clashes

Clashes broke out between two student groups at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) late Sunday night, leaving several students injured and prompting the university administration to promise strict disciplinary action.

The violence followed days of tension on campus over the Vice-Chancellor’s recent remarks on UGC equity rules and the rustication of four JNUSU office-bearers earlier this month. The administration on Monday said it has taken “very serious cognisance” of the incident and warned that action will be taken under university rules and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

According to the administration’s statement, several academic buildings were reportedly locked by a group of protesting students on the night of February 22. It is alleged that some students were threatened and pressured into joining the protest, which led to a scuffle between the two groups. “JNU administration condemns such unruly behaviour on campus aimed at repeated destruction of public property and its inclusive ethos. Strict action under the university’s rules & regulations and under BNS is being taken to ensure a proper academic environment on the campus,” the registrar said in a statement issued on February 23.

However, the two rival student groups — the Left-backed JNUSU and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) — have offered sharply different versions of what transpired.