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Delhi Police book 6 JNU students after scuffle with cops, 3 office bearers of students’ union ‘bound down’

Left student groups instead accused the Delhi Police of brutality.

The protest march was held amid growing tensions between Left student groups and ABVP members over alleged campus assaults.

Delhi Police have filed an FIR against six JNU students, including JNUSU leaders, after a protest outside Vasant Kunj police station turned violent. (File)

The Delhi Police Sunday registered an FIR against six JNU students, including three office bearers of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU), a day after a march to the Vasant Kunj North police station escalated into a confrontation that left several students and police personnel injured.

The case was filed under Sections 221, 121(2), 132, and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Vasant Kunj North police station.

The three JNUSU office bearers who were booked are Nitesh Kumar, 26, (President, JNUSU), Manisha, 28, (Vice President, JNUSU), and Munteha Fatima, 28, (General Secretary, JNUSU).

The police said the six have been “bound down”, while other detained students were held under Section 65 of the Delhi Police Act and would be handed over to university officials after medical examination.

The confrontation marks an escalation of tensions that began last week. In the early hours of Thursday, a general body meeting at JNU’s School of Social Sciences descended into chaos when Left-affiliated student groups accused members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) of ‘hooliganism’. The ABVP, in turn, claimed its members were subjected to “regional hatred” and physical assault.

Over the next two days, posters calling for a “social march for social justice” began circulating on campus. Organised primarily by Left groups and amplified under the hashtag #SOSJNU, the march was aimed at the Vasant Kunj North police station, where some students demanded an FIR be registered against ABVP members who allegedly attacked them. They claimed that despite multiple complaints, no police action had been taken.

The police, however, said they had “remained in continuous touch with the student leaders and ensured proper legal action,” but claimed that the union refused to withdraw its call for a gherao of the police station.

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According to the police, “Around 6 pm, approximately 70-80 students, including female students, gathered at the West Gate of JNU. Police barricades were placed to restrict their movement towards Nelson Mandela Marg…” the Delhi Police said in a statement. The police also accused the group of manhandling cops and using abusive language.

Left student groups, however, accused the police of brutality and claimed that the very students who had submitted complaints were detained. “Delhi Police beats JNU students,” one statement read, alleging that ABVP members on Thursday used “casteist, Islamophobic and misogynistic abuses” against JNUSU leaders while police personnel stood by.

Vidheesha Kuntamalla

Vidheesha Kuntamalla is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express, based in New Delhi. She is known for her investigative reporting on higher education policy, international student immigration, and academic freedom on university campuses. Her work consistently connects policy decisions with lived realities, foregrounding how administrative actions, political pressure, and global shifts affect students, faculty, and institutions. Professional Profile Core Beat: Vidheesha covers education in Delhi and nationally, reporting on major public institutions including the University of Delhi (DU), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Jamia Millia Islamia, the IITs, and the IIMs. She also reports extensively on private and government schools in the National Capital Region. Prior to joining The Indian Express, she worked as a freelance journalist in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for over a year, covering politics, rural issues, women-centric issues, and social justice. Specialisation: She has developed a strong niche in reporting on the Indian student diaspora, particularly the challenges faced by Indian students and H-1B holders in the United States. Her work examines how geopolitical shifts, immigration policy changes, and campus politics impact global education mobility. She has also reported widely on: * Mental health crises and student suicides at IITs * Policy responses to campus mental health * Academic freedom and institutional clampdowns at JNU, South Asian University (SAU), and Delhi University * Curriculum and syllabus changes under the National Education Policy Her recent reporting has included deeply reported human stories on policy changes during the Trump administration and their consequences for Indian students and researchers in the US. Reporting Style Vidheesha is recognised for a human-centric approach to policy reporting, combining investigative depth with intimate storytelling. Her work often highlights the anxieties of students and faculty navigating bureaucratic uncertainty, legal precarity, and institutional pressure. She regularly works with court records, internal documents, official data, and disciplinary frameworks to expose structural challenges to academic freedom. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2024 & 2025) 1. Express Investigation Series JNU’s fault lines move from campus to court: University fights students and faculty (November 2025) An Indian Express investigation found that since 2011, JNU has appeared in over 600 cases before the Delhi High Court, filed by the administration, faculty, staff, students, and contractual workers across the tenures of three Vice-Chancellors. JNU’s legal wars with students and faculty pile up under 3 V-Cs | Rs 30-lakh fines chill campus dissent (November 2025) The report traced how steep monetary penalties — now codified in the Chief Proctor’s Office Manual — are reshaping dissent and disciplinary action on campus. 2. International Education & Immigration ‘Free for a day. Then came ICE’: Acquitted after 43 years, Indian-origin man faces deportation — to a country he has never known (October 2025) H-1B $100,000 entry fee explained: Who pays, who’s exempt, and what’s still unclear? (September 2025) Khammam to Dallas, Jhansi to Seattle — audacious journeys in pursuit of the American dream after H-1B visa fee hike (September 2025) What a proposed 15% cap on foreign admissions in the US could mean for Indian students (October 2025) Anxiety on campus after Trump says visas of pro-Palestinian protesters will be cancelled (January 2025) ‘I couldn’t believe it’: F-1 status of some Indian students restored after US reverses abrupt visa terminations (April 2025) 3. Academic Freedom & Policy Exclusive: South Asian University fires professor for ‘inciting students’ during stipend protests (September 2025) Exclusive: Ministry seeks explanation from JNU V-C for skipping Centre’s meet, views absence ‘seriously’ (July 2025) SAU rows after Noam Chomsky mentions PM Modi, Lankan scholar resigns, PhD student exits SAU A series of five stories examining shrinking academic freedom at South Asian University after global scholar Noam Chomsky referenced Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an academic interaction, triggering administrative unease and renewed debate over political speech, surveillance, and institutional autonomy on Indian campuses. 4. Mental Health on Campuses In post-pandemic years, counselling rooms at IITs are busier than ever; IIT-wise data shows why (August 2025) Campus suicides: IIT-Delhi panel flags toxic competition, caste bias, burnout (April 2025) 5. Delhi Schools These Delhi government school grads are now success stories. Here’s what worked — and what didn’t (February 2025) ‘Ma’am… may I share something?’ Growing up online and alone, why Delhi’s teens are reaching out (December 2025) ... Read More

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