A violent clash broke out at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi early Monday morning between members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and left-wing groups, leaving several students injured.
The incident occurred around 1:30 am, when tensions escalated into a scuffle. The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) had organised a "Samta Juloos" towards the East Gate, demanding the resignation of Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit and the revocation of a rustication order. Protesters accused the university administration of allowing ABVP students to obstruct the march.
Left-wing student groups, including the All India Students' Association (AISA), claimed that ABVP activists pelted stones at the JNUSU encampment and attacked unarmed students, resulting in multiple injuries.
In contrast, the ABVP accused left-wing groups of launching an attack on their members. They alleged that Prateek Bhardwaj, a Biotechnology student from the School of Biotechnology, was ambushed by left-wing activists in the School of Social Sciences. According to the ABVP, Bhardwaj was first blinded with fire extinguisher powder and then brutally beaten.
#WATCH | Delhi | Secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) unit at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Pravin Kumar Piyush says, "Yesterday, some leftist organisations of the JNU had given a call for a march from Sabarmati Tea point to the residence of the… pic.twitter.com/fJldBMfSxe
— ANI (@ANI) February 23, 2026
"Prateek Bhardwaj was allegedly attacked by leftist goons, who first blinded him with fire extinguisher powder before mercilessly assaulting him," it said in a post.
ABVP leader Vibhav Meena, meanwhile, claimed that a mob of 300 to 400 masked individuals chased away and assaulted students who were peacefully studying in the library and reading rooms.
The ABVP has called on Delhi Police to intervene and immediately arrest those responsible. "This is not student politics; it is cold-blooded violence. A university campus is being turned into a battlefield, where students are allegedly targeted simply for studying and exercising their right to be there. If left-wing groups can carry out such attacks inside a central university in the national capital, what message does it send?," the ABVP said in a statement.
