Delhi Police registers FIR against ABVP members in connection with JNU clash

|HT|

The Delhi Police on Monday said they have registered a first information report (FIR) against unknown Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) members in connection with Sunday’s clash at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). The clash between two student groups over a hostel mess serving chicken for dinner on the occasion of Ram Navmi left at least six injured.

Deputy police commissioner (southwest) Manoj C said they received a complaint from a group of students from Jawaharlal Nehru Students Union (JNUSU), Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the Democratic Students’ Federation, and All India Students’ Association on Monday. He added they accordingly registered the FIR under Indian Penal Code’s Sections including 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) 341 (wrongful restraint), 506 (criminal intimidation) 34 (common intention). “Further investigation is on to collect factual, scientific evidence and identify the culprits.”

Manoj C said students belonging to ABVP have also been intimated that they will be giving their complaint on Monday. “On receipt of the same, necessary appropriate legal action will be taken.” On Sunday, JNUSU chief and SFI member Aishe Ghosh alleged AVBP members created a ruckus and assaulted residents of Kaveri Hostel mess over the cooking of chicken on Sunday.

ABVP alleged members of Left-wing student outfits disrupted a prayer ceremony organised on the occasion of Ram Navmi by shouting slogans. Till late Sunday night, Left groups stood outside Vasant Kunj police station demanding to meet Manoj C.

According to students, AVBP members first objected to chicken being served as part of the dinner menu and then assaulted members of the mess committee.

“As per the pre-decided mess menu, non-vegetarian food is cooked for non-vegetarian students on Sunday, and paneer is prepared for vegetarian students. ABVP students, however, raised objections to the preparation of non-vegetarian food on Ram Navmi. They said that they were organising a Ram Navmi event around the hostel and will ensure that no non-vegetarian food is cooked,” said a first-year PhD student, who asked not to be named. He said when the mess committee members were collecting meat from a vendor around 4 pm, some ABVP members objected.

JNUSU secretary Madhurima Kundu alleged ABVP members assaulted her. There were also allegations of stone-throwing but this could not be verified.

Rohit Kumar, president of the JNU unit of ABVP, said no member of the outfit was involved. He said some residents of the Kaveri Hostel planned a Ram Navmi pooja on Sunday which was disrupted by members of Left-wing outfits. “The poster for the pooja had been put up three days ago. Since then, some members of JNUSU and Left-leaning outfits were saying that they will not allow the event to take place on the campus. The pooja was delayed since students were raising slogans,” said Kumar. He added the ABVP was only standing in solidarity with the students who were performing the prayers.

(Except for the headline and the pictorial description, this story has not been edited by THE DEN staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)