<p>New Delhi: The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) alleged on Thursday that Left-affiliated student groups attacked a Durga idol-immersion procession at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), while Left organisations accused the ABVP of using religion for political propaganda through a Ravan Dahan programme.</p><p>No immediate response was available from the JNU administration over the issue.</p><p>In a statement, the ABVP said Left groups, including the AISA, SFI and DSF, "violently attacked" the immersion procession near the Sabarmati T-Point around 7 pm, claiming that several male and female students were injured in stone-pelting and abused.</p><p>ABVP JNU president Mayank Panchal said, "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."</p><p>ABVP JNU minister Praveen Piyush alleged that "stone-pelting and even attacking female students during a sacred ritual like Durga Visarjan is condemnable and shameful" and demanded strict action from the administration.</p><p>JNU Students' Union (JNUSU) joint secretary Vaibhav Meena also condemned the incident, terming it "a direct assault on the cultural harmony and brotherhood of the university".</p>.ABVP's Aryan Maan bags president post in Delhi University Students' Union polls.<p>However, the Left-affiliated All India Students' Association (AISA) rejected the charges and instead, accused the ABVP of "using religion for political propaganda".</p><p>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.</p><p>"This is a blatant and dastardly display of Islamophobia, exploiting religious sentiments to harvest political benefits," the AISA said.</p><p>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.</p><p>"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".</p><p>Both sides traded charges over what they described as attempts to "destabilise the campus" and "distort its cultural environment".</p>
<p>New Delhi: The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) alleged on Thursday that Left-affiliated student groups attacked a Durga idol-immersion procession at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), while Left organisations accused the ABVP of using religion for political propaganda through a Ravan Dahan programme.</p><p>No immediate response was available from the JNU administration over the issue.</p><p>In a statement, the ABVP said Left groups, including the AISA, SFI and DSF, "violently attacked" the immersion procession near the Sabarmati T-Point around 7 pm, claiming that several male and female students were injured in stone-pelting and abused.</p><p>ABVP JNU president Mayank Panchal said, "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."</p><p>ABVP JNU minister Praveen Piyush alleged that "stone-pelting and even attacking female students during a sacred ritual like Durga Visarjan is condemnable and shameful" and demanded strict action from the administration.</p><p>JNU Students' Union (JNUSU) joint secretary Vaibhav Meena also condemned the incident, terming it "a direct assault on the cultural harmony and brotherhood of the university".</p>.ABVP's Aryan Maan bags president post in Delhi University Students' Union polls.<p>However, the Left-affiliated All India Students' Association (AISA) rejected the charges and instead, accused the ABVP of "using religion for political propaganda".</p><p>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.</p><p>"This is a blatant and dastardly display of Islamophobia, exploiting religious sentiments to harvest political benefits," the AISA said.</p><p>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.</p><p>"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".</p><p>Both sides traded charges over what they described as attempts to "destabilise the campus" and "distort its cultural environment".</p>