At least ten persons were injured in a violent clash that broke out between members of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's student wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Congress's student wing National Students' Union of India (NSUI) in the city. The police said that a group of NSUI members had gathered in front of the ABVP office in Paldi for protesting against the violence at JNU in Delhi when the clash erupted and turned violent.
In the clash, Nikhil Savani, general secretary of NSUI and a close associate of Hardik Patel, sustained a head injury and was admitted to civil hospital for treatment. Along with Savani, nine other NSUI and ABVP members suffered injuries. The violence erupted in the police presence. Police officers said that they had to resort to minor baton-charge to disperse the agitated members of both the organisations.
However, before the police could act several members of NSUI and ABVP sustained injuries. NSUI's Savani was badly beaten up after his head was hit by a blunt object. He was seen running around with his white shirt drenched in blood.
Condemning the incident Hardik Patel said, "The NSUI workers had gone to protest in the interest of education and still they were attacked. It shows how BJP and its associate wings function in the country. Savani is my friend and also a Congress worker who was participating in the protest in the interest of students who are under attack in the country." NSUI members also alleged that "The attack was part of state-sponsored violence against students."
ABVP officer bearers said that five of their workers were also injured in attack unleashed by NSUI members outside the former's office. They claimed that NSUI workers first started pelting stones on their office which led to violence.
