Protest against VC turns violent in JNU

New Delhi:Several students were injured in a late-night clash between two student groups at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, with the Left groups and the ABVP accusing each other of unleashing the violence, and authorities vowing to crack down on any unruly behaviour on campus. Tensions flared on the campus of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) after a protest against the vice-chancellor turned violent around 1.30 am on Monday.

The Left-backed Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) had called for an equality march 'Samta Juloos' towards the East Gate on Sunday night, demanding the resignation of Vice Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit and the revocation of a rustication order.

While the protesters alleged that the administration did not engage with them and instead allowed the ABVP members to confront them, the Right-wing student body blamed the Left groups for instigating the violence.

Pandit recently triggered a row after she said in an interview that communities "cannot progress by being permanently a victim or playing the victim card", with the JNUSU terming the remarks "casteist" and "insensitive" to marginalised communities. Videos shared by the rival student bodies purportedly showed masked people hurling stones and roaming with sticks on the campus. Sharing a video showing a few people hurling stones on the campus, Left-affiliated student groups alleged that ABVP members started stone pelting when they gathered for a protest. The ABVP also shared videos showing masked people walking inside the campus before the violence broke out.