Ramjas clashes:JNU, DU set to witness marches, counter-marches

With ABVP holding a Tiranga march,  the DU and JNU campuses are set to witness more marches and counter-marches on Tuesday as Left-affiliated AISA, Congress -backed NSUI and JNU teachers also plan to register their anguish against the Ramjas College violence.

Students and teachers of DU and JNU, along with AISA members, set to stage a march from Khalsa college on North Campus to Arts Faculty against the calling off a street play competition following "threats" from DU Students' Union.

The march, which is being promoted using hashtags like 'FightbackDUmarch' and 'DUagainstGoondagardi' will also see participation of groups such as 'Pinjra Tod' which have been fighting discriminatory hostel rules.

Congress-affiliated National Students' Union of India (NSUI) is likely to  organise  a symbolic one-day hunger strike at Arts faculty followed by a 'Mashaal' rally today.

"While we stand against the ABVP strongly in their attempts to curb students' freedom of expression and misusing 'nationalism' to further their agenda, we also condemn the violent ways of the Left in handling of the situation," a statement by NSUI said.

Ramjas college had last week witnessed large-scale violence between members of the AISA and the ABVP.

The ABVP, which objected to a seminar at Ramjas College last week where JNU students Umar Khalid and Shehla Rashid were invited, took out a 'Tiranga march' from the college to Delhi University's Arts Faculty on Monday.

Raising slogans of 'Vande Mataram' and calling it a 'march for the nation', the ABVP members carried the national flag as they marched inside the Ramjas College campus.

With hashtags like 'March4nation', 'IstandwithRamjas' and 'Istandwithnationalism', the student outfit used social media to invite more students for the protest against Left-leaning students' groups who are "supporting those involved in anti-national activities".

Rashtrawadi Shikshak Sangh, an RSS-affiliated teachers' body also staged a silent protest at Arts Faculty today demanding "check on abuse of freedom of speech and expression by the Left-groups".