JNU Durga idol immersion turns controversial; ABVP, Left student group clash over cultural, political charges

NEW DELHI: The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) alleged on Thursday that Left-affiliated student groups attacked a Durga idol-immersion procession at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), while Left organisations accused the ABVP of using religion for political propaganda through a Ravan Dahan programme. No immediate response was available from the JNU administration over the issue.

In a statement, the ABVP said Left groups, including the AISA, SFI and DSF, "violently attacked" the immersion procession near the Sabarmati T-Point around 7 pm, claiming that several male and female students were injured in stone-pelting and abused. ABVP JNU president Mayank Panchal said, "This is not just an attack on a religious event, but a direct attack on the university's festive tradition and the faith of the students. The ABVP will not tolerate such cultural aggression at any cost."

ABVP JNU minister Praveen Piyush alleged that "stone-pelting and even attacking female students during a sacred ritual like Durga Visarjan is condemnable and shameful" and demanded strict action from the administration. JNU Students' Union (JNUSU) joint secretary Vaibhav Meena also condemned the incident, terming it "a direct assault on the cultural harmony and brotherhood of the university".

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AISA claims ABVP using religion politically

However, the Left-affiliated All India Students' Association (AISA) rejected the charges and instead, accused the ABVP of "using religion for political propaganda". In a statement, the AISA said the ABVP was organising a Ravan Dahan, in which former JNU students Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam -- both under trial in cases relating to anti-CAA protests and the Delhi riots conspiracy -- were being depicted as Ravan.

"This is a blatant and dastardly display of Islamophobia, exploiting religious sentiments to harvest political benefits," the AISA said. It asked the ABVP why had it not chosen figures such as Nathuram Godse, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh or leaders accused of inflammatory speeches during the 2020 Delhi riots. "JNU rejects the politics of hate and Islamophobia," the AISA statement said, calling upon students to "stand up against the divisive politics of RSS-ABVP". Both sides traded charges over what they described as attempts to "destabilise the campus" and "distort its cultural environment".