JNU Violence: Left-wing students wanted to disrupt Ram Navami pooja, says ABVP

NEW DELHI: The RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on Monday alleged that students from the Left wanted to disrupt the Ram Navami pooja and are using diversionary tactics by raising the issue of non-vegetarian food. Rohit Kumar, ABVP JNU unit president, said that the ABVP did not have any issue with non-vegetarian food.

Two groups of students clashed at the JNU's Kaveri Hostel on Sunday allegedly over-serving of non-vegetarian food on Ram Navami in the mess, with police saying six students were injured in the violence. He claimed that seven days back, there was a General Body Meeting of the Kaveri Hostel mess committee where it was unanimously decided that no non-vegetarian food will be cooked in the hostel mess on Sunday on the occasion of Ram Navami.

"Muslim students were also in agreement with the decision. Three days back when the poster for Ram Navami pooja was shared, students from the Left threatened to throw meat bones to disrupt the pooja," he said. He also alleged that the left students even brought out a fake handwritten circular on April 9, a day before the puja.

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"The puja was supposed to begin at 3.30 pm on April 10 but these students came to disrupt it. They had to return seeing the huge crowd of devotees. Finally, the puja started at 5.30 pm and at 8.30 pm they came armed with stones, sticks, lathis, CFL tubes and started attacking students," he said. He said that the ABVP did not have any issue with non-vegetarian food being served. "In other hostels like Koyna, Periyar, etc., non-vegetarian food was served yesterday. The Left are playing diversionary tactics. We cannot dictate food choices but neither can the left do that," he said.

Raghib, mess secretary of Kaveri Hostel, denied that there was any GBM held on the matter. "I got a message from the mess warden a day prior to Sunday that non-vegetarian food should not be served tomorrow. I asked him to give it in writing but he didn't do it," he said. Non-vegetarian food is served in the hostel mess on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday and the menu is pre-decided at the beginning of the month.

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