What led to ABVP-Left clash at JNU during Dussehra celebrations: 'Ravan Dahan of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam effigies’
The clashes broke out between the two student groups during the Dussehra celebrations at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).
Clashes broke out between two student groups at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi on Thursday during the Dussehra celebrations on the campus. The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) claimed that Left-wing student groups attacked a Durga Puja idol immersion procession, while the Left groups accused the ABVP of using religion for political gains through a Ravan Dahan programme.
Vaibhav Meena, JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU) joint secretary and the lone ABVP member on the panel, claimed that they had called for a symbolic ‘Ravan Dahan’ by targeting what they claimed were ‘Naxal-like forces.’
“Today, on Vijayadashami, JNUSU had given a call that we would perform the 'dahan' of Naxal-like Ravan, of Naxal forces. The nine-day Durga Puja of Navratri is also observed at JNU. Immersion of the idol is done on Vijayadashami. So, a 'Shobha Yatra' was also being taken out. First, 'Ravan Dahan' was done at Sabarmati with photos of all Naxal leaders, and those with Naxal ideology like Afzal Guru, Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, G Sai Baba, Charu Majumdar," he was quoted as saying by ANI.
The JNU Students’ Union blamed the ABVP for using “religion for political propaganda.” In a statement, it said, “This is a blatant and dastardly display of Islamophobia, exploiting religious sentiments to harvest political benefits.”
The Left-affiliated All India Students' Association (AISA) has also denied the accusations and instead blamed the ABVP for “using religion for political propaganda.”
ABVP claims Left groups attacked Durga Puja idol immersion
The ABVP has also alleged that the Left-wing groups attacked a Durga Puja idol immersion procession at JNU. The organisation said that Left groups, including AISA, Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and the Democratic Students’ Federation (DSF), “violently attacked” the immersion procession.
It also claimed that many male and female students were injured in stone-pelting.
Condemning the incident, Vaibhav Meena called it a “direct assault on the cultural harmony and brotherhood of the university.”
Blatant display of Islamophobia: Left groups
In a statement, the AISA claimed that ABVP was “exploiting religious sentiments to harvest political benefits.” The organisation also said ABVP’s ‘dahan’ of ‘Naxal-like forces’ was a “blatant and dastardly display of Islamophobia.”
Instead, it questioned why the ABVP had not chosen Nathuram Godse, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh or leaders accused of inflammatory speeches during the 2020 Delhi riots.
JNUSU president Nitish Kumar, who is linked to AISA, denied the allegations of attack and said that ABVP raised slogans of “Jai Shree Ram” and “Yogi ji’s bulldozer justice.”
“They then started waving slippers. We formed a human chain to stop violence... But they tried for half an hour to stoke violence,” he told HT.
Reacting to the alleged photos of Khalid and Imam, he said, “We gave a call from JNUSU that they cannot do this and that it is wrong.”
The JNU administration did not immediately respond to the situation.
