Late night scuffle at JNU: ABVP, Left members clash during meet on holding student union polls

“There was a scuffle in GBM. We are in contact with the JNU administration, and examining the matter,” a Delhi police official told The Indian Express on Saturday.

According to another officer, they received a police control room (PCR) call at the Vasant Kunj North police station at 12.30 am, and a police team reached the university gate, but did not enter the campus.

The blame game

Hitting out at the ABVP for its “consistent opposition to democratic processes” within campus, AISA said in a statement, “This incident calls for united opposition against ABVP’s disruptive agenda. Let us stand together to protect the democratic ethos of our campus and ensure a safe and inclusive environment for all students.”

The ABVP statement also said that the JNUSU “passed casteist slurs” against the mike and sound workers “as they did not want the ABVP to participate in the UGBM”. “When the Left-led parties (AISA, SFI, DSF and many more) saw that the UGBM would take place anyhow, they tried to disturb the GBM. However, ABVP defeated all their tactics. At last, they started beating ABVP activists. They even did not spare the physically handicapped students who were sympathisers of ABVP,” said the ABVP statement.

In videos shared by both groups on social media, ABVP and JNUSU members could be seen arguing amid shouting and sloganeering, as the university security personnel try to control the situation.

The DSF said in a statement, “In response to the JNU administration’s announcement of the start of the JNUSU elections for 2023-2024, the ABVP has teamed up with the administration to obstruct the UGBM called by the students, and halt the democratic process initiated for the conduct of the JNUSU election 2024,”

Earlier on Friday, the JNUSU had collected a quorum — signatures from students, which is 1/10th of the university’s strength — to start the UGBM process.

No polls in last 4 years

The JNUSU elections, which have not been held for the last four years, are scheduled to take place in March — the first students’ union polls after 2019.

In a notification in January 2024, the university had said, “This is to bring to the kind notice of all concerned that the JNU students’ union elections 2023-24 will be held between six and eight weeks, after the commencement of the academic session for PhD students i.e February 2, 2024.”