JNU scuffle: Sentiments of all communities must be respected, says Ramdas Athawale

Pune (Maharashtra) [India], April 12 : After a scuffle broke out between two student groups allegedly over eating non-vegetarian food on the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus in the national capital on Sunday, Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale on Monday said that whatever happened at the JNU campus was not right, adding that the sentiments of all communities must be respected.
Athawale in Pune while speaking to reporters said, "Whatever happened in JNU was not right and should not have happened."
He further said, "Ram Navami is a holy festival for Hindus and if someone takes a stand to not eat non-vegetarian food, it is not wrong. All ideologies must be accepted. Sentiments of all communities must be respected."
Athawale added that necessary action should be taken in the matter at the earliest and the culprits should be booked.
As many as six persons were injured when a scuffle broke out between two student groups allegedly over eating non-vegetarian food on the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus in the national capital on Ram Navami on Sunday.
While a student union says some ABVP members allegedly tried to stop non-vegetarian food from being cooked, the ABVP claims that 'Left' students tried to disrupt Ram Navami pooja.
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party, on Sunday protested at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus, demanding that non-vegetarian food should not be prepared inside the mess on the occasion of the festival.
The ABVP also accused the National Students Union of India (NSUI) and Left-backed students of preventing them from worshipping on Ram Navami.