Delhi University: AISA alleges disruption of event featuring Irfan Habib, ABVP calls charges 'baseless'

NEW DELHI: All India Students' Association on Thursday alleged that members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad disrupted a social justice programme at Delhi University's Arts Faculty, an allegation the ABVP denied. The left-backed students' group alleged that ABVP members interrupted the event by throwing water and raising slogans when historian S Irfan Habib was speaking.

According to a statement issued by AISA, the incident took place during the People's Literature Festival organised by the group on Thursday. The AISA termed the incident an alleged attack on a platform meant to discuss equality and social justice, and accused the ABVP of attempting to silence dissent on university campuses.

The RSS-affiliated student body, ABVP, however, rejected the allegations, saying they were "completely baseless and false". In a separate statement, the organisation said Left-wing student groups were spreading misleading narratives, allegedly disturbed by the ABVP's growing popularity among students at the University of Delhi.

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Students resisted disruption, claims AISA

The AISA claimed that students present at the venue resisted the alleged disruption, forcing those involved to leave. It said such actions reflected an alleged intolerance towards debate and marginalised voices, and said that it would continue to oppose what it described as "anti-democratic" politics on campuses.

ABVP Delhi state secretary Sarthak Sharma said the organisation had recently organised a three-day cultural festival, Madari, from February 9 to 11, which saw participation from street theatre groups and students from across universities.

He alleged that the success of such programmes had led to frustration among rival student bodies, prompting them to level accusations to gain media attention. The university officials said that they did not receive any complaints about the alleged incident and will look into the matter.