JNU asks its security branch to submit report on scuffle between 2 groups of students

NEW DELHI: After a scuffle broke out between two groups of students on the campus, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) authorities have instructed the security branch to take necessary steps and submit a detailed report on the incident. The scuffle that broke out near the Narmada hostel on Thursday was a fallout of events that unfolded at a birthday party a day before.

Police have registered two separate FIRs in connection with the incident. According to police, two students were injured in the scuffle, while university sources claimed that only one student sustained injuries.

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In a statement issued on Thursday night, the JNU administration reiterated its resolve for zero tolerance towards any form of violence on the campus and appealed to the students to desist from resorting to violence. "It has come to the notice of the university authorities that a scuffle between two groups of students broke out on campus due to personal animosity. JNU authority has taken a serious view of the matter and has instructed the Dean of Students and the security branch to take necessary steps and submit a detailed report on the incident," the university said.

Video clips purportedly of the incident were circulated on social media platforms, in which some students were seen running on the campus with sticks in their hands. In one of the clips, students wearing masks were seen with sticks. One of them was wearing a JNU sweatshirt. Police said they will verify the authenticity of the videos. The university sources as well as police said no political groups were involved in the incident.

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The university has witnessed several instances of violence in the recent years involving Left-affiliated student outfits and the RSS-backed Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). In April, two groups of students clashed at the Kaveri hostel allegedly over the serving of non-vegetarian food in the mess on Ram Navami. On January 5, 2020, a mob of masked men and women stormed the campus and targeted students in three hostels. At least 28 people, including JNU Students' Union president Aishe Ghosh, were injured as chaos reigned on the campus for nearly two hours.