A day after the attack by Leftist student organizations on the residents of Kaveri Hostel during the Ram Navami celebrations, the Jawaharlal Nehru University issued an official press release clearing the air on the issue. In an appeal, the administration has asked the students to “exercise restraint and let the academic environment flourish in JNU without any external disturbances.”
On Monday, April 11, The Jawaharlal Nehru University has taken cognizance of the attack on Ram Navami Celebrations that were taking place in the Kaveri Hostel on Sunday. After various versions of the incident emerged in the media from the members of the RSS-affiliated-Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Left wing student organizations including the National Students Union of India (NSUI) and All India Students’ Association (AISA), the JNU administration has issued an official statement condemning the ruckus.
“There was a scuffle in the JNU Campus on 10 April 2022 between student groups. It was the occasion of Rama Navami and Hawan was organized by the students in the Kaveri Hostel and there were students who were objecting to this. The wardens and Dean of Students tried to pacify and the Hawan was concluded peacefully,” the statement noted.
The statement further added, “Despite this, some group of students were not happy with this and soon after, at the time of dinner, a ruckus was created over there and heated arguments were followed by an altercation between both the groups in the Kaveri Hostel. Mess is run by the student committee and the administration has nothing to do with their menu. The Wardens clarified on the spot and issued a notice when the ruckus was going among students that there is no bar on serving non-vegetarian food.”
Talking about the swift measures taken by the administration to calm the situation, the statement read, “The warden issued a notice calling for peace and clarifying issues. The JNU administration immediately swung into action. Later in the night. Vice-Chancellor, JNU Prof. Santishree Dhulipadi Pandit visited Kaveri Hostel and took stock of the situation. JNU is an institution with a rich legacy which has nurtured generations. It has always been known for academic and intellectual pursuits with a strong culture of healthy discussions and debates.”
What happened on Ram Navami night?
Reportedly, some members of ABVP had organised a Hawan and Puja on account of Ram Navami on Sunday, April 10 inside the JNU campus. The ABVP has accused the Left-wing student organizations and the National Students Union of India (NSUI) of stopping them from performing the Hawan and Puja at the Kaveri Hostel inside the JNU campus. However, the Leftist students have alleged that ABVP members had a scuffle with the mess manager as non-vegetarian food was being served on the day of Ram Navami.
The festivities finished in a tense environment with several ABVP members injured while seven of them sustained severe injuries.
