The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNUSU) plunged into violence after the “Left Unity” won the varsity students union poll defeating their arch rival RSS-affiliated ABVP by a huge margin. What followed next was total mayhem as a mob of Left students armed with batons allegedly unleashed a reign of terror on the Right wing students by selectively targeting and hunting them from inside their hostel rooms.

The nightmare went on till morning with unruly mob going from one hostel to another allegedly in their bid to threaten and target the ABVP members with no one to the aid or rescue of the victims except their frightened companions. 

Heavily outnumbered the Right wing students sent “WhatsApp” messages to their colleagues seeking help but of no avail. This all went on while the JNU security looked “helpless” in tackling the situation and watched the trauma allegedly with folded hands as they were outclassed. While the JNU administration acted after being sounded for help and it replied saying, “We are working on it”.

 About 10 students were injured with 6 some sustaining injuries on their heads and have been admitted at AIIMS trauma centre, said ABVP. While the Left claim that the newly elected JNUSU president N Sai Balaji of the “Left Unity” was attacked by the ABVP students who also threatened to kill him “the minute he stepped out of the police station” while he went to lodge a formal complaint with police. The Left also shared bared chest pictures of one of their supporter having injury marks all over the upper body and on his mouth. He alleged that he was beaten at about 3 am by ABVP members in Jhelum hostel lawn.

N Sai Balaji in his complaint has alleged that ABVP members led by Saurabh Sharma attacked him. He claims that he had video graphic and material evidence to support his point. In his complaint he narrated that while he went on to rescue a student who was brutally beaten by the ABVP, he too was threatened in front of the police. He said while he was sitting inside the PCR van for his safety, the ABVP members tried to drag him out and beat him.

The row allegedly started at the time of counting of votes when ABVP members disrupted the counting accusing election committee of “poll rigging” witnessed violence between Left and Right students while the election committee members were sand-witched in between. However it started blowing out of proportion after the announcement of results. However, it cannot be established that there was no provocation from the side of ABVP but despite of what happened initially ABVP members become an “easy prey” in the Left bastion.

“The spate of incidents involving naked-violence among supporters of Left and the Right ideologies have put a question mark over the safety and security of students inside the campus,” said a teacher.

While both the Left and Right indulged in the blame game and put their side of story, a JNU teacher said the truth is not hard to establish as the hostels are under CCTV survcillance.

“If the Left students who moved in mob to hunt and target the Right wing students inside their hostel room it can be proved by seeing the CCTV footages. The CCTV's footages must be secured before there are attempts to destroy or delete them,” said a teacher. The JNU Teachers' Association (JNUTA) took out a protest march against the violence. Several students and university workers joined the protest.

Another teacher, who is also a warden of a hostel, said the row started from the Jhelum Hostel at about midnight and engulfed Periyar hostel by 4 am. He said students were beaten inside their hostel rooms with no one to rescue them. By morning, the row spread to the Mahi-Mandvi hostel where students from both the groups had gathered in quite good numbers.

The newly elected JNUSU president N Sai Balaji in a separate complaint to police has demanded adequate security from police alleging threat to his life.

 “We got a Police Control Room (PCR) call around 3 am regarding the scuffle between the students in JNU campus. The situation is now under control. Two complaints have been received in police station Vasant Kunj (North). Legal action is being taken on merit. The situation is under control and normal. Police arrangements are in place and further we are investigating the matter,” said Devendra Arya, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), South west district