(source : ANI) ( Photo Credit : ani)
A tense clash erupted on the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus in New Delhi on Friday, pitting two student groups against each other during a Visarjan Shobha Yatra for Vijayadashami. This festival marks the end of the nine-day Navratri celebrations, and the violence quickly drew attention amid ongoing campus tensions.
JNUSU Joint Secretary Vaibhav Meena explained that his group organized a symbolic Ravan Dahan at the Sabarmati hostel to target what they call Naxal-like forces. “Today, on Vijayadashami, we burned effigies and photos of people with alleged Naxal ideologies, including Afzal Guru, Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, G Sai Baba, and Charu Majumdar,” Meena said. The event tied into JNU’s Durga Puja traditions, with the Shobha Yatra procession carrying the idol immersion through the campus.
Things turned ugly as the procession reached the Sabarmati Tea Point. Meena accused Left-affiliated student groups, who were holding their own effigy-burning event nearby, of disrupting the march. “They hurled shoes and slippers at us, injuring several students in the Yatra,” he added. “We plan to file a complaint with the police.”
From the other side, JNUSU President Nitish Kumar pointed to a provocative poster as the spark. Circulated around 9-10 a.m., it announced a Ravan Dahan portraying former JNU students Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam—who have been vocal activists on issues like citizenship rights—as demons. “We couldn’t let that happen,” Kumar said. “They’re not burning effigies of Godse; they’re targeting defenders of the Constitution and human rights. Our protest at Sabarmati Tea Point aimed to stop it.”
Kumar described how the opposing group paused their DJ music for about half an hour, chanted slogans like “Jai Sri Ram” and references to “Yogi ji’s bulldozer justice,” and started waving slippers to provoke a fight. “We formed a human chain to prevent violence, but they tried for 30 minutes before leaving,” he noted.
The JNU clash highlights deep political divides on campus, especially during high-energy festivals like Vijayadashami and Navratri. No arrests have been reported yet, but both sides remain on edge as investigations could follow.
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