New Delhi erupted in tension once again as Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) became the epicenter of violence late Monday night. A fierce clash between Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) members and Left-backed students led to stone-pelting and brutal assaults, leaving 12-14 students injured and rushed to Safdarjung Hospital’s emergency ward.
JNU media coordinator Vijay Jaiswal detailed the harrowing sequence of events. Around 3 a.m., a mob of Left supporters, who had been protesting for the past week, marched from Sabarmati T-Point towards the Vice Chancellor’s gate. What began as a planned demonstration quickly escalated into a targeted attack on ABVP workers in the school area, sparking widespread scuffles.
‘They came in like a lynch mob,’ Jaiswal recounted. Masked assailants wielding rods and sticks numbered nearly 400, with many identified as non-students via video footage. The violence was premeditated, he alleged, turning a peaceful campus into a battlefield.
Eyewitness Prateek Bhardwaj, an injured ABVP student, shared a terrifying ordeal. Fleeing for safety, he barricaded himself in a bathroom. A group of at least 150 attackers soon arrived, smashing the door and filling the space with fire extinguisher fumes and powder. ‘I have photos proving it,’ he said, crediting JNU security for his eventual rescue amid ongoing chaos with police.
ABVP JNU Vice President Manish Chaudhary contextualized the unrest. The Left group protested university restrictions without the mandatory 48-hour notice and announced a dharna at the VC’s residence. Frustrated by low student participation, they locked campus areas, abused others, and resorted to stone-throwing when confronted, injuring several ABVP members.
This incident reignites JNU’s history of polarized clashes, raising urgent questions about campus security, outsider involvement, and the fragility of student dissent. Authorities must investigate thoroughly to prevent further escalation and restore order on one of India’s premier academic institutions.