JNUSU accuses ABVP of unleashing violence in the university; demands immediate actions against perpetrators

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India Tomorrow

NEW DELHI–The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) has accused the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) of unleashing violence in the campus on Sunday evening.

In a press statement, the JNUSU on Tuesday stated that the ABVP yet again tried to unleash violence on the JNU campus and vandalise the Students’ Union Office on the evening of 19th February.

The JNUSU organised a march on Sunday for IIT Bombay student Darshan Solanki, who allegedly committed suicide on February 12.

Alleging foul play in his death, the family of 18-year Solanki, who belonged to Scheduled Caste, claimed that he faced harassment and discrimination for his caste after joining the Bachelors in Technology (Chemical) course at the institution.

Here goes the full statement of the JNUSU.

“On the evening of 19th February, the ABVP yet again tried to unleash violence on the JNU campus and vandalise the Students’ Union Office. What unfolded in the campus on the evening of 19th February has only further exposed the RSS-ABVP’s divisive agenda to communalise the campus spaces and to bury down the struggle and fight put forward by the students coming from the marginalized communities for education and right to live with dignity.

“On the 19th of February, the JNU Students’ Union had given a call for a Candle Light March in solidarity with Darshan Solanki’s family members quest for justice. Darshan Solanki, an 18 year Dalit student who died of suicide in IIT Bombay due to the discrimination and exclusion he had to face in the campus. Darshan Solanki is not the first victim of the institutional murder and systemic failure in higher educational institutions. Back in 2016, Rohith Vemula’s institutional murder showed the apathy towards students coming from the marginalized communities by institutions of higher education. The caste based discrimination, non functional Equal Opportunity Cells to address the inequalities faced in academic spaces have pushed several students towards the receiving end.

“In the evening of 19th February while JNUSU concluded the March and the public meeting started at Sabarmati Dhaba, the representatives received messages and pictures of the vandalised Union Office where ABVP was organising an event. Within a few minutes, the representatives received SOS calls that a student group named ‘Hundred Flowers Group’ which had prior booking of the JNUSU office was about to organise Film Screening and ABVP activists who were present at the SU office started heckling and assaulting them. While the JNUSU office bearers and Council Members rushed just after concluding the public meeting to JNUSU office, the union room was vandalised. Several members of ABVP, identified goons from ABVP started heckling the SU members and were taking out portraits of Periyar, Bhagat Singh, Karl Marx, Savitribai Phule, Jyotiba and throwing it on the floor. While throwing these portraits on the floor.

“The JNUSU members immediately called up the Chief Security Officer, the Delhi Police to inform that immediately the incident and request the Campus security to intervene to de-escalate the situation. Neither did the Security move an inch to help the students not did the Police take any measure to ensure that the situation doesn’t become more worse. ABVP members kept sloganeering, heckling and assaulting students for a while despite the JNUSU members requesting them to leave the room.

“After a point of time, the ABVP members started chanting slogans and moved out of the SU office towards the main gate in a form of a rally. Meanwhile the students decided initially to walk towards the VC House, but later changed the plan to sit and watch the film which was scheduled for screening as ABVP had already moved out.

“The ABVP goons again came back and started beating up the students and several students were left with serious injuries and had to be taken to Safdarjung Hospital. While the ambulance was moving out, a mob of 15-20 students tried to stop the ambulance and again attacked a student. One female student of SAA was hit by known ABVP lumpen Umesh Chandra Ajmera. The ABVP goons snatched the phone of another SAA student and when he went to inform the police personnel standing there, the police grabbed him by his neck.

“This is not an isolated event of the growing impunity of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP). Time and again, the ABVP has resorted to violence to curb and shrink the democratic spaces and rights of the students. What is more shocking that it’s been more than 24 hours, rather than initiating any enquiry, the Dean of Students’ Office has now got a farman to dictate that the JNUSU office will require formal and prior permission and any event organised without due permission will invite disciplinary actions. The JNUSU would like to reiterate that the student community will not bow down infront of any such dictate of the JNU Administration which has been working in a clear nexus with the ABVP. The impunity extended by the JNU Administration, Chief Proctor’s office, and Delhi Police has led to a situation where 7-10 repeated offenders who are students of JNU and affiliated to the ABVP has been repeatedly creating ruckus, inciting violence and disturbing the peace and harmony inside the campus spaces.

“On behalf of the JNUSU, we were shocked to learn from the media handles of ABVP and that of certain media channels who have misinterpreted the whole incident and pushing a narrative that the JNUSU is against certain icons, and were involved in vandalism. We reiterate the spirit of JNU is that of inclusivity, cherishing the spirit of democratic, secular and progressive ethos. Such fake agenda can only be peddled by the ABVP to unnecessarily set a narrative outside while all campuses across the country are demanding justice for Darshan Solanki. This is nothing but a way to divert the entire issue.

“We appeal to the student community to stand united against such diversion tactics used by ABVP to disturb the communal harmony of our campus spaces. We also reiterate that the growing attack on the democratic rights of the student community will not be tolerated at any cost. Also in this light, the Dean of Students’ Office has issued a Notice to take prior permission from DoS office. The JNUSU demands that the notice be revoked within 24 hours. The JNU Administration should ensure that the repeated offenders and culprits who have been identified should be immediately punished.”

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