Left groups at JNU marched demanding FIR against ABVP for alleged assaults during election-related meetings, escalating from Friday's campus clashes involving casteist slurs and physical violence.
At West Gate, students allegedly broke barricades, leading to a scuffle; police detained 28, including union leaders, while claiming protesters injured six officers.
Student unions decry police brutality and manhandling of women, but Delhi Police insists action was restrained to maintain order amid unpermitted gherao plans.
JNU Students Clash With Cops During Protest March, 28 Detained
Tensions erupt at JNU West Gate as Left student unions demand FIR against ABVP violence, leading to clashes, detentions, and conflicting accounts of force used.
Summary
A protest by Left-affiliated student groups at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) demanding an FIR against the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) for alleged violence during campus meetings turned violent on Saturday evening, with demonstrators accusing Delhi Police of a "brutal assault" and the force claiming protesters broke barricades and injured officers. The confrontation at the university's West Gate left six police personnel injured and led to the detention of 28 students, including JNUSU President Nitish Kumar, Vice President Manisha, and General Secretary Munteha Fatima.
Accoridng to the Hindu, the unrest stemmed from Friday's clashes during a School of Social Sciences general body meeting for JNUSU election preparations, where Left groups alleged ABVP members assaulted students, including grabbing a woman by the throat and hurling casteist slurs. ABVP countered that Left students attacked their members first. Frustrated by police inaction, around 70-80 students, including women, marched towards Vasant Kunj police station around 6 p.m., only to be stopped by barricades on Nelson Mandela Marg.
All India Students' Association (AISA) and Students' Federation of India (SFI) condemned the police response, claiming female students were manhandled by male officers and JNUSU leaders were beaten, with one councillor hospitalized. JNUSU President Nitish Kumar reported torn clothes, a stolen phone, and illegal detention, vowing to continue the fight for justice. Delhi Police's Deputy Commissioner Amit Goel rejected the brutality claims, stating students ignored requests, used abusive language, obstructed traffic, and manhandled personnel, necessitating detentions to prevent escalation. The incident unfolds ahead of JNUSU elections next month, reigniting debates on campus politics and police intervention in student protests.
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