JNU Students' Clash: Nation will not progress if there will be hooliganism in colleges: Arvind Kejriwal

NEW DELHI: Nation will never progress if there will be clashes and hooliganism in schools and colleges, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Thursday reacting to the April 10 violence at JNU. Two groups of students clashed at the varsity's Kaveri Hostel on Sunday allegedly over serving of non-vegetarian food on Ram Navami in the mess, with police saying 20 students were injured in the violence.

"Children go to study in schools and colleges and only studies should happen at these places. If studies happen, only then will the nation progress," said Kejriwal on the sidelines of an event here when asked about the violence at the university. "If there will be clashes and hooliganism, the nation will not progress," he added.

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The two students groups on Monday lodged police complaints against each other, while varsity authorities claimed the violence occurred after some students objected to a 'hawan', an assertion also made by RSS-affiliate ABVP. The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration also warned students of disciplinary action if they were found indulging in any kind of violence on campus.

Meanwhile, JNU unit of RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) met vice-chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit and senior administration officials of the university on Wednesday to demand the safety of students from further attacks.

In a statement, the ABVP said the university campus has recently witnessed large-scale violence against Kaveri hostel residents on the occasion of Ram Navami. "We conveyed to the administration officials that our activists are being outcast and thrown out of class groups. We demanded that the university ensure the safety of the victims of a Left attack from further attacks," they said.

(With inputs from PTI)