The protesting students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University have accused the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) of inciting violence across the campus on December 11, a day when the JNU Students' Union and administration met MHRD officials to find a way to end the lockdown. AISA National President and Former JNUSU President, N Sai Balaji called the attacks an attempt to 'lynch students'. But the ABVP has denied being part of any such scuffle.
The semester exams are about to start on December 12 and even though most of the students have rejected the exam some haven't. Students, who are attending their vivas and practicals, were caught between a rock and a hard place when ABVP members and some 'outsiders' allegedly beat up protesters in front of the School of Physical Sciences. "We were speaking to the students who had come out after their exams and suddenly the ABVP members armed with metal rods started assaulting us," said one of the protesting students.
ABVP Zone Convener and ex-President of the ABVP JNU unit, Vijay Kumar said that his party's member was not involved in the incident in any way. "The protesters clashed with the common students who came to attend their practicals and vivas. An altercation occurred when the protesters did not let them in. We were not involved in any way," he said.
A first-year student, reportedly from Centre of German Studies, was caught on video being beaten repeatedly by assailants, who are allegedly associated with the ABVP. The incident is believed to have taken place in front of the Godavari Dhaba. "They (ABVP activists) had people from outside as well and they started attacking him without any provocation," said Akshat, a member of the Students' Federation of India (SFI). "They are trying to dampen our struggle. At a time when students have been protesting against unfair administrative oppression, the administration themselves want something like this to happen and the ABVP are their stooges who are causing the violence," he added.
