NEW DELHI: A clash broke out at Jawaharlal Nehru University late Sunday night, with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) alleging that its members were attacked by Left-wing groups. Several students were reported injured in the violence. In a post on X, ABVP claimed that Prateek Bhardwaj, a Biotechnology student at the School of Biotechnology, was assaulted inside the School of Social Sciences premises. “Prateek Bhardwaj, a Biotechnology student from the School of Biotechnology, JNU, was allegedly ambushed inside the School of Social Sciences premises by Leftist goons. He was first blinded with fire extinguisher powder and then mercilessly beaten. It is further alleged that even a cylinder was opened and used during this fatal assault. He has been left critically injured and rushed to the hospital. His condition is serious.” According to ABVP, the violence erupted after nearly a week of strikes led by Left-wing organisations on campus. Vaibhav Meena, Joint Secretary of the JNU Students’ Union (ABVP), described the incident as a “night of terror”. “The left wing’s strike has been going on here for the last 7-8 days… The kind of terror they have spread throughout the night, they went to the schools and chased away the students from the study rooms by a mob of 300-400 masked men…. Vijay has been mob lynched by a mob of 100-150 people… Delhi Police did nothing… We condemn this…,” Vaibhav Meena said. Meena alleged that students studying in libraries and reading rooms were “chased away” and assaulted by a mob of 300 to 400 masked individuals. In a serious claim, he further alleged that a student named Vijay was “mob lynched” by a group of 100 to 150 people. The ABVP launched a campaign on social media with the hashtag #LeftAttacksJNUAgain, accusing the Delhi Police of inaction and claiming that the campus had been “turned into a battlefield”. “This is not student politics! This is calculated, cold-blooded violence. A university campus is being turned into a battlefield, where students are allegedly targeted and attacked for simply studying and exercising their right to be there. If these left goons can do this inside a central university in the national capital, what message does it send? @DelhiPolice this cannot wait. Act immediately. Arrest those involved. Restore fear of law before another student is carried out on a stretcher. Students’ lives are not expendable! #LeftAttacksJNUAgain,” ABVP posted on X. “Brutal violence in JNU! Students have been severely injured after a shocking attack by Left-affiliated groups, their only ‘fault’ was studying peacefully in the library. This is not politics. This is cowardly, targeted violence against students who came here to study, not to be assaulted. How long will ideological goons be allowed to terrorise campuses? We demand immediate arrests and strict action,” the organisation added. Left-wing groups have not yet responded to the allegations.
