Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Oct 16: Several students were injured after clashes broke out on the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus early Wednesday during a general body meeting (GBM) at the School of Social Sciences. The incident involved left-wing AISA-affiliated students and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) members, with both sides blaming each other for the violence.

The AISA alleged that ABVP workers disrupted the GBM, heckled counselors presenting work reports, and physically assaulted students, including grabbing a woman student by her throat. In a statement, AISA claimed the violence was motivated by ABVP’s fear of losing in the upcoming student union elections. They said the JNUSU president, and AISA leader Nitish Kumar, was gheraoed for over an hour by ABVP workers.

On the other hand, ABVP denied the allegations and accused JNUSU president Nitish Kumar and left-wing students of instigating the violence. ABVP claimed the clashes began after a left-wing counselor allegedly made a divisive remark targeting students from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and ABVP members. ABVP said that left-wing students attacked a woman student when others protested the remark, creating chaos. The student union president, according to ABVP, failed to control the situation and allowed the meeting to continue amid rising tension.

The incident comes as JNU holds GBMs ahead of its student union elections, where AISA currently holds three of the four central panel positions and ABVP holds one. Both sides frequently accuse each other of disrupting democratic processes on the campus.

Authorities have yet to issue an official statement regarding the clashes, and investigations into the incident are expected to follow.