Clashes erupt at JNU ahead of student polls; ABVP, Left groups trade charges

New Delhi: Tensions flared on the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus on Thursday during a general body meeting (GBM) of the School of Social Sciences, with the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Left-backed student groups trading charges of violence and disruption.

The JNU is gearing up for its students' union elections, likely to be held in November.

The university formally constituted a grievance redressal cell earlier in the month to oversee the process.

In a statement, the ABVP alleged that a Left-wing councillor made an "offensive and discriminatory" remark during the meeting, saying "people from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and ABVP students are unworthy of coming to JNU and should be thrown out." The statement said that when students protested, Left-wing students "attacked a female student, creating a tense atmosphere." The ABVP accused JNUSU president Nitish of failing to act and instead "allowing the meeting to continue in a tense atmosphere," and later "calling his comrades to attack again."

It alleged that several students were beaten and that "leftist students began spreading false stories, tearing their shirts, and staging drama to portray themselves as victims." "So typical of JNU Leftists — the moment they can't answer genuine questions, they start playing the victim card. The GBM was stalled for 16 hours, and when students demanded accountability, the JNUSU president adjourned the meeting after taking a 'beauty nap,'" another ABVP statement read.

It accused the Left of "infiltrating' the varsity election commission and turning the democratic process into a "dictatorship in disguise." The CPI-ML-backed All India Students' Association (AISA) claimed that ABVP "hooligans" disrupted the GBM, heckled councillors, and physically assaulted students.

"ABVP members grabbed a woman student by the throat and beat several others, resulting in serious injuries. The injured students are being treated at Safdarjung Hospital," the AISA said.

It accused the ABVP of resorting to violence to "derail the democratic process" ahead of the upcoming JNU Students' Union (JNUSU) elections.

"ABVP goons assaulted JNUSU President Nitish, tore his clothes, and hurled casteist, misogynistic, and Islamophobic slurs," it said, as it termed the alleged act ABVP's "long-standing tactic to intimidate and disrupt democratic spaces on campus." Last year, Left-backed groups won three of the four central panel posts, while the ABVP broke a nine-year drought by securing the joint secretary's position.

Known for its politically charged campus and high-pitched ideological battles, the JNU elections often set the tone for student politics across the country.