A protest march from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) to the Vasant Kunj police station ended a day of campus violence in which many students were hurt.
Members of the JNU Students’ Union led the march, demanding that ABVP members be prosecuted for allegedly assaulting students inside Kaveri dormitory over non-vegetarian food supplied there. The ABVP, on the other hand, claimed that the violence was not about food and that members of Left-wing student organisations had disrupted a Ram Navami puja at the dormitory.
“It was approximately 4.30-5 pm,” Apeksha Priyadarshini, a JNUSU member who took part in the late-night march, said. With sticks and stones, a group of 10-20 ABVP students surged at others. This was due to my inability to eat non-vegetarian meals. We offer a set menu and serve non-vegetarian meals on Sundays. We didn’t make any mistakes.” She further claimed that during the melee, several female students were assaulted and that casteist remarks were yelled at certain pupils.
Around 10.45 p.m., the march began, with over 100 protestors asking to meet with the Deputy Commissioner of Police.
“We were at a cultural programme on campus when I received SOS texts and calls,” said Dhananjay, a JNU student and AISA member, who claimed he was hurt during the demonstration. I dashed over to the Kaveri hostel. The mess secretary and guards were being beaten up by ABVP students. They then proceeded to assault my pals. When a group of 7-9 individuals caught me, I was trying to defend my pals. My kurta was torn, I was shoved, and I was scratched. Akhtarista Ansari, one of the other pupils, was struck in the head. She was in a lot of pain.”
“The menu was set weeks ago; why didn’t they raise their voice then?” Madhurima, another student, said. I was shoved and kicked.”
Slogans against the Delhi Police and shouts of “baar baar ye nahi hone denge” were also heard throughout the march. This, many said, was an allusion to the school violence in January 2020, when several masked individuals went on a rampage, harming students and professors. So yet, no arrests have been made in that case.
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