Clashes Erupt at JNU Over Durga Visarjan, Ravan Dahan Events

Tensions gripped Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Thursday evening after the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Left-backed student groups traded charges following violent clashes on campus.

The confrontation reportedly broke out near the Sabarmati T-Point around 7 pm during a Durga idol immersion procession, with ABVP alleging that Left organisations pelted stones and disrupted the ritual, injuring several students, including women.

ABVP’s Allegations

ABVP leaders claimed the attack was an assault on faith and cultural tradition.

• “This is not just an attack on a religious event, but a direct attack on the university’s festive tradition and the faith of the students. ABVP will not tolerate such cultural aggression,” said ABVP JNU president Mayank Panchal.

• ABVP JNU minister Praveen Piyush called the alleged stone-pelting “condemnable and shameful,” urging the administration to act.

• JNUSU joint secretary Vaibhav Meena also termed the incident a blow to “cultural harmony and brotherhood.”

Left Groups’ Counter-Allegations

Left-affiliated student bodies AISA, SFI, and DSF denied disrupting the procession. Instead, they accused ABVP of politicising religious events by staging a controversial Ravan Dahan.

• AISA alleged ABVP used effigies resembling Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam — both jailed ex-JNU students facing trial in the anti-CAA and Delhi riots conspiracy cases — to depict Ravan.

• “This is a blatant and dastardly display of Islamophobia, exploiting religious sentiments to harvest political benefits,” AISA said.

• The group questioned why ABVP chose not to burn effigies of figures such as Nathuram Godse or Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, instead targeting Muslim activists.

Campus Atmosphere

Both camps have accused each other of attempting to polarise the campus and disturbing its cultural environment. The JNU administration has not yet released an official statement.