While those students of Jawaharlal Nehru University protesting against the fee hike accused private security guards and ABVP's student activists of assaulting them, the cadre of the right-wing student organisation also alleged that the members of “Left Unity" have been trying to "disrupt the process of registration" for the Winter Session and have "for the last two days, forced a lockdown across various centers of the university". Students aligned with ABVP claimed that they were attacked by leftist students.
Durgesh Kumar, President, ABVP’s JNU unit said that many ABVP members were injured during this attack. "JNUSU and left student organisations have been resorting to violence on a regular basis and, in this process, have wounded the common students of the university. The attack on ABVP today shows the violent side of these organisations. The left cannot intimidate students through violence. We request the administration to take action to stop such violent acts."
Manish Jangid, Secretary, ABVP’s JNU unit, added, "The left hijacked the office of Communication and Information System on December 3 (afternoon), disrupting internet facilities across JNU. This also disrupted the registration process and studies. When the security guards of the university tried to reason with them, they too were beaten up by the goons of the left."
Students who have been protesting the fee hike for over two months said that the right-wing has consolidated its forces to attack them. "Today, what we have seen is a dissolution of all differences between ABVP, right-wing teachers and the Cyclops security. The students have been assaulted and beaten up mercilessly by the Sangh Giroh throughout the day at different places. The person who calls himself the dean of School of International Studies (SIS) Ashwini Mohapatra openly incited violence on students and said that, ‘I was with ABVP and will remain with ABVP’," alleged a representative of JNUSU.
Irrespective of who started it, students have been grievously injured, including the JNUSU General Secretary. In a video, SIS Councillor Rittwik Raj is seen assaulting a student and engaging in a scuffle. But, as per the video, he hasn’t been seen vandalising anything. "The newly formed JNUTF was not far behind in this violence. Teachers associated with the JNUTF also joined in, assaulting and beating students in the school area," said the JNUSU representative. "ABVP clearly wants an increase in fees and an end to the inclusive character of JNU. Hence, they want to facilitate fraud and fake process of registration. This violence reminds us of the violence unleashed by the same mob during election counting last year," added the students.
