Non Veg Food Vs Ram Navami Havan: What Led To The Violence At JNU

Many students at Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University were injured on Sunday after clashes broke out over the serving of meat at a hostel mess on Ram Navmi.

Students belonging to left-wing organisations have accused members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) of preventing non-veg food being served in the mess at the Kaveri hostel and beating up those who protested.

Conversely, ABVP members have accused All India Students Association (AISA) and Students' Federation of India (SFI) students of trying to disrupt a havan which was being held on Ram Navmi.

The Delhi Police have filed an FIR against unidentified students belonging to ABVP based on a complaint filed by JNUSU, SFI, DSF and AISA students.

"We have registered an FIR under IPC Sections 323 (causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint), 509 (outraging the modesty of a woman), 506 (threatening) and 34 at Vasant Kunj (north) police station. Further investigation is on to collect factual and scientific evidence to identify the culprits," Manoj C, deputy commissioner of police (South-west) was reported as saying by The Indian Express.

Visuals shared on Twitter shows students with gruesome injuries.

What Caused The Clash?

The bone of contention was the serving on meat at Kaveri hostel's mess on Sunday. Left-wing students allege that ABVP students told the mess staff not to make chicken on Sunday as it was Ram Navmi. They also allege that ABVP students stopped the mess' meat supplier, verbally abused them and prevented them from making the weekly delivery of meat.

"They harassed and heckled both him and the mess secretary, saying that a havan is being held and non-vegetarian food can't be cooked," Anagha Pradeep, councillor of the JNU Students' Union (JNUSU) told The Indian Express.

However, students affiliated to the ABVP claim that the fracas started when left-wing students threatened to disrupt a Ram Navmi havan in the hostel premises.

They alleged that students belonging to left-wing organisations tried to disrupt the and attacked students taking part in them.

Rohit Kumar, ABVP's JNU President told BOOM that Hindus and Muslims had been fasting simultaneoulsy for more than a week for Navratri and Ramzan respectively and there hadn't been any issues.

"There was to be a pooja today which was not organised by ABVP but by Kaveri residents. So they (left-wing students) began with their "We won't let you do your pooja and we'll throw bones in the havan". We have been fasting for Navratri for the past few days and Muslims have been fasting for Ramzan simultaneously without any issues. Why would we resort to violence and protest when we only want to conduct our pooja without any issues?" he said.

Manish, a Kaveri student resident, added that there had been no objections to cooking meat in the hostel premises as meat had been served for the past week as well during Navratri.

"What happened today was that a chicken supplier's vehicle came and since many people like me who eat non-veg regularly eat only veg during the nine days, we had told the supplier to halve the supply of chicken. Then a certain hostel committee member started objecting to this. This was an issue of stocking and to ensure chicken does not go waste.

"Why would we stop chicken for the last day? Chicken was being eaten for the last eight days as well. If we wanted to stop, we would have done it eight days before only," he claimed.

However, in a video tweeted out by AISA state secretary Neha, some men can be heard telling the meat supplier to leave the premises with the meat as there is a pooja taking place.

AISA members alleged that students belonging to the ABVP began manhandling female students hitting them and sexually assaulting them.

Dolan Samantha of the AISA JNU said," Despite the presence of JNU guards in the hostel premises, ABVP goons beat up students and specifically targetted female students. They also damaged hostel equipment."

Dolan also alleged that ABVP students trapped students inside the Kaveri hostel and resorted to pelting stone, trash bins and tubelights. "All this happened in front of the Delhi Police who did nothing," Dolan added.