Ravan effigy of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam allegedly burnt at JNU campus, clashes erupt
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Ravan effigy of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam allegedly burnt at JNU campus, clashes erupt")
Commuters seen moving through the Jawaharlal Nehru University entrance gate as a brawl broke out between two groups Photograph: (ANI)
AISA refuted allegations of stone pelting and condemned the ABVP for carrying out a procession that allegedly featured a symbolic “Ravan Dahan” portraying former students Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam.
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) affiliated to the national party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Left-backed student organisations clashed during a 'Visarjan Shobha Yatra' organised on the occasion of Vijayadashami on Friday (Oct 2). The clashes broke out on the campus after the BJP accused the Left-backed student organisations of attacking a Durga idol during the immersion procession.
While the Left-affiliated groups hit out at ABVP for trying to gain political advantage through a controversial Ravan Dahan event.
According to reports, the clashes erupted after the procession organised by ABVP was passing through the Sabarmati Tea Point when members of the All India Students’ Association (AISA), Students’ Federation of India (SFI), and Democratic Students’ Federation (DSF) disrupted the procession by hurling shoes, slippers and stones at participants.
Also Read: ‘Attack on democratic system in India is a major risk,’ says Rahul Gandhi in Colombia; BJP hits back
“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 president Mayank Panchal told PTI.
While ABVP JNU minister Praveen Piyush called for trict action against the accused.
Trending Stories
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
“Stone-pelting and even attacking female students during a sacred ritual like Durga Visarjan is condemnable and shameful," said Piyush.
Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam depicted as Ravan
Meanwhile, the AISA refuted the allegation and condemned the ABVP for carrying out a procession that allegedly featured a symbolic “Ravan Dahan” portraying former students Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam - both currently facing legal proceedings related to anti-CAA protests and the Delhi riots - as Ravan.
“This is a blatant and dastardly display of Islamophobia, exploiting religious sentiments to harvest political benefits," the AISA said in a statement.
It also questioned why other controversial figures like Nathuram Godse and Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh were not included in the symbolic “Ravan” portrayal.
The JNU administration is yet to issued a formal statement regarding the incident.
