New Delhi: The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus remained tense Monday morning after a scuffle broke out between student groups aligned with the Left and Right parties the night before, with both sides trading charges of unleashing violence during a protest march.
According to the students, the incident took place between 1 am and 1.30 am and ended with several students getting injured in stone-pelting. No official complaint has, however, been received in the matter so far, DCP (South West) Amit Goel told ThePrint.
Videos of the alleged scuffle shared by several students caught in the standoff show scenes of confusion and fear amid stone-pelting near the protest site.
Earlier, the Left-led Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) had called for a “Samta Juloos” towards the East Gate, demanding the resignation of Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit over alleged casteist comments and the revocation of a rustication order.
On Monday, protesters from Left-affiliated groups alleged the administration did not engage with the march and instead allowed Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) members to confront them.
The ABVP has rejected the allegations, and instead accused Left-backed groups of provoking the clashes, and also spreading misinformation about the incident.
JNUSU president Aditi Mishra in a video statement on social media said the students were marching from Sabarmati Canteen to the Vice Chancellor’s gate to seek response on the V-C’s comments.
“Several Dalit, Bahujan students of the campus marched and walked to protest, and then we walked back to the school area, to seek a response, and to either demand resignation, or to agree to our demands. Several students were on the ground, and they had locked down the buildings,” she said, adding that after the lockdown, “the V-C sent goons, who engaged in stone pelting. They even broke the locks, and abused and attacked us”.
“When thousands of students gathered at the SL–SIS Lawn, members of the ABVP began throwing stones and bricks at the encampment site. They abused those protesting against the Vice Chancellor’s remarks, and physically attacked several students with sticks. Many students were injured and left traumatised,” a JNUSU statement read.
The night turned into a prolonged siege of violence against JNU students
raising their voices against the casteist remarks and the rustication of the elected JNUSU office bearers, it added. Students, the union claimed, were forced to take shelter inside the Central Library, spending the entire night in “fear and uncertainty” as violence continued outside, and while “JNU security and Delhi Police allowed intimidation and organised hooliganism to continue with full impunity”.
“The events are a deliberate attempt to suppress resistance against demanding resignation of the Vice Chancellor, the rustication of the union, and other key demands. As the forces opposing social justice mobilise, it is crucial to intensify efforts to uphold equality and constitutional values,” the statement further read.
JNU media convener of the ABVP, Vijay Jaiswal, on the other hand, said that “Left-wing groups, who were protesting for seven days, targeted ABVP workers and students”.
“There were around 100-150. Delhi Police and JNU security guards were also present, but they did not take any action. This was pre-planned and they were masked,” he told the media, demanding that the administration take action against those involved.
The ABVP claims that post the protest march, around midnight, those associated with Left parties masked themselves and, armed with sticks, tried to forcefully lock down different schools on campus. Students hid in washrooms and lifts.
Meanwhile, JNU administration has said in a statement that protesting students entered the Central library and “reportedly threatened the unwilling students, intimidated them to join the protest”.
“It is learnt that this led to a scuffle between two student groups on Campus on the night of 22nd February, 2026. The JNU Administration has taken very serious cognisance of these disturbing incidents. JNU administration condemns such unruly behaviour on campus aimed at repeated destruction of public property and its inclusive ethos. Strict action under University’s rules & regulations and under BNS is being taken to ensure proper academic environment in the campus,” the statement added.
The protest at JNU has been on for a few days now, starting after a podcast was released last week in which the V-C appeared and spoke about JNUSU office bearers’ rustication over a protest against surveillance in the library, and the University Grants Commission equity regulations, which were stayed by the Supreme Court last month. She was subsequently accused of making “blatantly casteist statements” in her address.
“You cannot progress by being permanently a victim or playing the victim card. This was done for the Blacks; the same thing was brought for Dalits here. By making somebody a devil, it is not easy to progress. It is a temporary type of drug,” the V-C is heard saying.
This is an updated version of the report.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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