New Delhi: Violence broke out at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in the early hours of Monday as Left-affiliated student groups clashed with members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), raising tensions on campus.

The confrontation reportedly followed protests by Left groups over alleged casteist remarks by the university’s Vice-Chancellor. While left-leaning students accused ABVP members of attacking protesters, ABVP students countered that they were subjected to harassment, escalating the campus dispute.

ABVP student Prateek Bhardwaj described the attack, saying he had to lock himself inside a restroom to escape a group of around 150 people who attempted to break in and filled the room with smoke and powder from a fire extinguisher. Bhardwaj also claimed the incident stemmed from restrictions imposed on Left-wing students under the Vice-Chancellor’s CPO manual, which was interpreted as a disciplinary measure but later politicised by opposing student groups.

Another ABVP student, Vaibhav Meena, alleged that the Left-wing march was a pre-planned move. He said a crowd of approximately 400 masked individuals, many armed with sticks and rods, entered the school area and locked buildings in what appeared to be a coordinated action.

ABVP Secretary at JNU, Pravin Kumar Piyush, added that the march started late at night from Sabarmati T-Point to the Vice-Chancellor’s residence. He said 400–500 masked individuals carrying hockey sticks, rods, batons, knives, and stones forced their way into the school area, where students were studying, and allegedly pushed them out of the reading rooms.

Authorities have confirmed no major injuries were reported. Two students visited a government hospital for medical leave certificates (MLC), and no formal complaints have been filed. Preliminary checks have been initiated, and further investigations are ongoing to determine the full circumstances and identify those responsible for the violence.

IANS