Scuffle erupts at Jamia campus during Diwali celebration
Oct 23, 2024
New Delhi [India], October 23 : A commotion erupted at Jamia Millia Islamia University on Tuesday night during a Diwali celebration organised by some students.
The incident occurred around 7:30-8 pm near gate 7, the police informed. No FIR has been registered so far. The police were deployed outside the campus to ensure peace.
The disturbance occurred when a group of students clashed over the nature of the event.
A group of ABVP-affiliated students were setting up diyas and creating rangolis for Diwali when a second group of students, unhappy with the activity, disrupted the decorations, sparking a scuffle.
ANI reached out to the administration, but there was no response to the queries.
A video capturing a part of the altercation has gone viral on social media.
The video, shared widely on platform X, shows students engaged in a verbal spat, with security personnel trying to diffuse the situation.
In a statement Tuesday, the JMI unit of the Student Federation of India claimed that "ABVP, under the guise of Diwali celebrations, unleashed an attack on students". The JMI unit of the Congress-backed NSUI also blamed the "shameful act of violence by ABVP goons on our campus".
Denying these allegations, ABVP's national media convenor Ashutosh Singh said "ABVP-affiliated students had organized a Diwali program, and it ran peacefully for about an hour or two. However, after that, some students from another group showed up, disrupted the event by damaging some diyas, and started chanting slogans like 'Long live Palestine.' We are not responsible for the violence."
