Thu Oct 02 13:30:00 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a news article summarizing the events at JNU:
**JNU Ravan Dahan Sparks Clash: ABVP Accuses Leftists of Disruption, JNUSU Alleges Political Exploitation of Religion**
**New Delhi:** A Ravan Dahan ceremony at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) turned contentious as the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Left-leaning student groups traded accusations of disruption and political maneuvering.
The ABVP alleges that Left-affiliated students disrupted the Ravan Dahan, hurling shoes and attempting to sabotage the event. ABVP leader Praveen Kumar accused Left organizations of deliberately inciting unrest. This year’s effigy featured the faces of figures accused of conspiracy in the Delhi riots, including Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, on Ravan’s ten heads.
The JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU) issued a statement condemning the ABVP for exploiting religion for political gain. The JNUSU argues that depicting Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, both former JNU students currently imprisoned and facing trial, as Ravan is a premature condemnation. They emphasized that these individuals have been incarcerated for the past five years and are still undergoing legal proceedings. The JNUSU questioned how the ABVP could publicly pronounce them guilty when the case remains sub judice.
Further intensifying the conflict, the JNUSU criticized the ABVP for not including figures like Nathuram Godse, Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin, or Ram Rahim, convicted of rape and murder, on the effigy if they were truly concerned about national interests.
“If the ABVP is so concerned about the nation, why didn’t they put Nathuram Godse’s face on Ravan?” the JNUSU stated, questioning whether the ABVP considered him a terrorist.
ABVP leader Mayank Panchal decried what he called “cultural aggression” from the Left, alleging that they desecrated a sacred event and attacked the university’s festive traditions. He stated, “The ABVP will not tolerate such cultural aggression at any cost.”
JNUSU Joint Secretary Vaibhav Meena accused Leftist students of violence during the procession, including stone-pelting at female students. He asserted that this demonstrated a deep-seated hatred of Indian culture and Hindu traditions. “This is not just an attack on students, but a direct assault on the university’s cultural harmony and brotherhood,” Meena said, calling for immediate and strict action from the administration to restore peace and cultural harmony on campus.
The incident highlights the ongoing ideological clashes on the JNU campus and the sensitivity surrounding politically charged issues. University administration has yet to comment.
First Piper 