JNU: Right-wing students demand meat ban during Navratri, trigger violent scuffle

In a press release issued by the All India Students Association (AISA) here, the students have claimed that 'ABVP goons like Ravi Kumar, Prafull, Vijay and Raj violently attacked students and activists' at the Kaveri mess during the argument, severely injuring students Akhtarista Ansari, Madhurima Kundu, and N Sai Balaji.

New Delhi: Following the recent meat-ban issue, a scuffle surfaced at the Jawaharlal Nehru University between two groups of students on Sunday over the consumption of meat during Navratri. As per the received information, a group of right-wing students reportedly opposed the cooking of non-vegetarian food at the Kaveri Hostel at the JNU campus. What started as a verbal argument at the hostel mess soon escalated into a violent ruckus with stone-pelting, consequently injuring a few students.

Some students at the Kaveri hostel on the campus had reportedly organized a Navratri Pooja program and urged the mess supervisor to avoid serving non-vegetarian food in the mess during Navratri. However, as per the usual rules, the meat supplier reached the mess to deliver meat on Sunday and was sent back by the right-wingers, triggering an argument between two groups of students. Though the matter got resolved temporarily after some heated-up verbal arguments, it gained momentum once more students from both sides interfered. A trail of accusations and counter-accusations soon turned into a violent scuffle.

While one group of students claimed that there should be no problem in serving non-vegetarian food as per the hostel mess manual, the other group comprising of ABVP supporters was adamant about banning meat for the Navaratri period. In a press release issued by the All India Students Association (AISA) here, the students have claimed that 'ABVP goons like Ravi Kumar, Prafull, Vijay and Raj violently attacked students and activists' at the Kaveri mess during the argument, severely injuring students Akhtarista Ansari, Madhurima Kundu, and N Sai Balaji.

The President of the JNU Students' Union, Aishe also took to Twitter to report the incident. 'ABVP hooligans stopped residents inside JNU from having non Veg food. ABVP also assaulted the mess secretary of the Hostel. Unite against the hooliganism unleashed by ABVP inside campus premises,' the tweet caption read, with a video of the ruckus between the students at the Kaveri mess.

The JNUSU further alleged that the ABVP, which is the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), used "muscle power and goondaism" to create a ruckus, manhandling the staff and asking them not to prepare any non-vegetarian items. "They were forcing and attacking the mess committee to change the dinner menu and exclude the usual non-vegetarian items in it for all students," it alleged. "JNU and its hostels are meant to be inclusive spaces for all and not one particular section," it said.

• ABVP hooligans stopped residents inside JNU from having non Veg food
  
  ABVP also assaulted the mess secretary of the Hostel.
  
  Unite against the hooliganism unleashed by ABVP inside campus premises.https://t.co/3MpRE9zXn4 pic.twitter.com/Fy3HU7qg8J

  — Aishe (ঐশী) (@aishe_ghosh) April 10, 2022 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="

  ABVP hooligans stopped residents inside JNU from having non Veg food
  
  ABVP also assaulted the mess secretary of the Hostel.
  
  Unite against the hooliganism unleashed by ABVP inside campus premises.https://t.co/3MpRE9zXn4 pic.twitter.com/Fy3HU7qg8J

  — Aishe (ঐশী) (@aishe_ghosh) April 10, 2022

  ">

  ABVP hooligans stopped residents inside JNU from having non Veg food
  
  ABVP also assaulted the mess secretary of the Hostel.
  
  Unite against the hooliganism unleashed by ABVP inside campus premises.https://t.co/3MpRE9zXn4 pic.twitter.com/Fy3HU7qg8J

  — Aishe (ঐশী) (@aishe_ghosh) April 10, 2022

Meanwhile, the ABVP members have alleged that they were stopped from worshipping Lord Ram inside the hostel premises on Ram Navami. Further rejecting all of JNUSU's allegations, the ABVP students claimed that the 'leftists' disrupted their pooja and havan organized by students on the occasion of Ram Navami. "Some common students had organized a pooja and havan program on the auspicious occasion of Ram Navami at 3:30 PM at Kaveri hostel. This pooja was joined by a large number of common students of JNU. The Leftists came to object, obstruct and prevent the pooja from happening. They have created a false ruckus on the issue of 'Right to Food' (Non-Vegetarian Food)," they said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Manoj C told PTI that some students have sustained injuries."There is no violence as of now. A protest was held which is over. We are all positioned here with our team. On the request of the university, we have come here. We are trying to maintain peace," he said, further adding that the details of the incident will be shared later.