JNU students clash over non-veg food in canteen
New Delhi At least six students suffered injuries at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) after two groups from different outfits clashed over a hostel canteen serving non-vegetarian food on Ram Navmi on Sunday, according to the police and accounts by student from the two sides who also shared photos on social media, amid the ongoing row over sale of meat in the Capital during the nineday Hindu festival of Navratri.
According to deputy commissioner of police (south west) Manoj C six students suffered minor injuries, and added that the two outfits were protesting till late Sunday evening on the campus “peacefully”.
JNU students’ union president and member of the Leftwing outfit Students Federation of India (SFI) Aishe Ghosh alleged that members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) created a ruckus, and assaulted members of the Kaveri Hostel mess over cooking of chicken on Sunday even as the ABVP claimed that members of the Left-wing student outfits disrupted a prayer meet organised on the occasion of Ram Navmi by raising slogans.
By late Sunday evening, a police case was yet to be registered in connection with the incident (To be updated) even as a group of Left-wing student outfits marched to the Vasant Kunj police station to lodge a complaint.
According to students, members of the ABVP first objected to chicken being served as part of the dinner menu at Kaveri
Hostel mess on Sunday, and then assaulted members of the mess committee. They added that the menu was predecided.
“As per the pre-decided mess menu, non-vegetarian food is cooked for non-vegetarian students on Sunday, and paneer is prepared for vegetarian students. ABVP students, however, raised objections to the preparation of non-vegetarian food on account of Ram Navmi. They said that they were organising a Ram Navmi event around the hostel and will ensure that no non-vegetarian food is cooked,” said a first-year PHD student, who asked not to be named.
He said that when the mess committee members were collecting meat packets from the vendor around 4pm, some ABVP members reached there and first objected to the nonvegeratarian food on the menu and then allegedly assaulted the mess secretary.
JNUSU secretary Madhurima Kundu also alleged that members of ABVP assaulted her. She said that around 8pm, ABVP members in large numbers started beating students at the Kaveri Hostel. “Initially, they started kicking the students. I was also hit. I was slapped and my hand was pulled after which they started throwing flower vases, glass bottles and stones due to which one AISA activist Akhtarista was injured in the eye. Many other students were hit with broken tube lights and female students were also injured,” said Kundu.
There were also allegations of stone pelting but they could not be substantiated.