Following last week’s incident of violence at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus, in which two students were injured in a clash between two groups, the university administration has declared the campus “out of bounds” for four students until its enquiry into the incident is completed. The Delhi Police has registered two FIRs based on complaints by two JNU students in connection with the incident. According to a university official, a clash had taken place between two groups of students on Wednesday night in which one student was injured. The official said this escalated the next afternoon when people from outside the university joined in for “retaliatory violence”. The Chief Proctor has issued orders against two BA students, one MA student and one MPhil student who have been identified as having been involved “in a physical fight with a fellow student of JNU on 9th November, 2022, at midnight at Narmada Hostel”. “As per rules of discipline and proper conduct of students of JNU in accordance with the powers vested in the Vice-Chancellor… the Vice-Chancellor has ordered that entire JNU campus is declared out of bounds for him with immediate effect till the entire enquiry [into the incident] is completed,” read the identical orders issued to the four students. The orders also state that anyone giving shelter to the four students in the university premises “will invite strict disciplinary action against him The Registrar has also issued an advisory after the incident which states that the incident took place because of “personal animosity” and that “the administration reiterates its resolve for zero tolerance towards any form of violence on campus and appeals to student groups to desist from resorting to violence and taking the law into their hands failing which strict action will be taken as per university rule”. A senior police officer had also said there are no student political groups or any politics involved in the incident. This is the second incident of violence in the JNU campus this year. In March, multiple students were injured during a clash between student activists from the Left and the ABVP after hours of tension between the two – one camp had alleged attempts were made to stop non-vegetarian food from being cooked and served in a hostel mess and the other alleged attempts to disrupt a Ram Navami puja in the same hostel.
