Students of Jawaharlal Nehru University and youth wing of pro-ruling party outfit clash in India's capital
JNU students on social media blamed members of the ABVP, the youth wing of the Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh - the ideological parent of India’s ruling BJP. Police in riot gear stand guard inside the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) after clashes between students in New Delhi, India on January 5, 2020. Reuters/Adnan Abidi
Clashes broke out late on Sunday between students of New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), who were protesting against a fee hike, and youth wing members of a group closely tied to India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), injuring over a dozen people, witnesses and officials said.
Sahiba Mazid, who spoke by telephone from inside one of the university hostels, said many men wearing masks and carrying batons had entered the hostel.
JNU students on social media blamed members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the youth wing of the Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh - the ideological parent of India’s ruling BJP. It denied they had instigated clashes and said they were first attacked by the left-leaning students.
Professors who were trying to protect us have been beaten up. These are unknown ABVP goons, not all are students, they have covered their faces, and they are moving towards the hotels near the West Gate. Stay alert. Make human chains. Protect each other. #SOSJNU#EmergencyinJNU
The ABVP members contacted by Reuters at the site did not belong to JNU.
JNU, one of India’s most prestigious universities, has a history of left-wing activism. Many there have also in recent years protested against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, accusing them of curbing free speech.
“Horrifying images from JNU — the place I know & remember was one for fierce debates & opinions but never violence. I unequivocally condemn the events of today,” Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Twitter.
We strongly condemn the violence on JNU campus. This is a desperate attempt by forces of anarchy, who are determined to use students as cannon fodder, create unrest to shore up their shrinking political footprint. Universities should remain places of learning and education.
Protests against a fee hike began in November when hundreds of students marched from the campus seeking its cancellation, saying it would make education unaffordable.
“This is a desperate attempt by forces of anarchy ... to shore up their shrinking political footprint,” said the BJP in a tweet about Sunday’s violence.
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