Delhi: JNUSU President Nitish Kumar claimed that tensions escalated after posters appeared on-line saying a ‘Ravan Dahan’ that featured effigies of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam.
A violent confrontation broke out at Jawaharlal Nehru College (JNU) on Friday (October 2) throughout a ‘Visarjan Shobha Yatra’ held to mark Vijayadashami, leaving the campus tense and divided alongside ideological traces. The conflict stemmed from competing symbolic demonstrations by pupil teams, every accusing the opposite of provocation.
The Shobha Yatra and ‘Ravan Dahan’
In line with JNUSU Joint Secretary Vaibhav Meena, the college’s College students’ Union had organised a symbolic ‘Ravan Dahan’ at Sabarmati Dhaba as a part of the Vijayadashami celebrations. Effigies and posters of people related to Naxal or Left actions, together with Afzal Guru, Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, G Sai Baba, and Charu Majumdar, had been burned in the course of the ritual.
Meena mentioned this act was supposed as a symbolic rejection of what he described as “Naxal-like forces” on campus. Following the effigy burning, a ‘Visarjan Shobha Yatra’ with Durga idols and college students was taken throughout the campus.
Left teams stage counter protest
Left-affiliated pupil teams, nonetheless, described the act as deeply provocative. They accused the organizers of misrepresenting former JNU college students Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, identified for his or her political activism, as figures of evil.
JNUSU President Nitish Kumar alleged that hassle started after posters circulated on-line highlighting a ‘Ravan Dahan’ that included effigies of Khalid and Imam. “They aren’t burning Godse’s effigy, however as an alternative making an attempt to burn those that stood up for democracy and human rights,” he mentioned.
Left pupil teams had assembled at Sabarmati Tea Level for their very own protest, accusing the opposing faction of concentrating on activists who advocated for constitutional rights.
Conflict throughout procession
Tensions escalated when the Durga Visarjan procession handed by the protest web site. Meena claimed that members of Left teams hurled slippers and footwear at college students collaborating within the Yatra, injuring some. He acknowledged that the scholars’ union would file a police criticism relating to the incident.
Nitish Kumar, nonetheless, maintained that it was the Yatra contributors who first tried to impress violence. “They stopped their DJ, shouted slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘bulldozer justice,’ and tried to incite a conflict. We shaped a human chain to forestall violence,” he mentioned.
Competing narratives and rising tensions
Either side accused one another of initiating the violence, with one group alleging obstruction of a non secular procession and the opposite claiming defamation of former college students and activists. The confrontation highlights deep-rooted ideological divisions at JNU, the place campus politics steadily mirrors nationwide debates.
Police intervention is prone to observe as complaints are filed, with college students accusing one another of inciting violence and disrupting cultural occasions. The incident underscored how even spiritual festivities at JNU can rapidly remodel into flashpoints of ideological battle.