Casteist and Islamophobic slurs accompanied an attack by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s student wing, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), on Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students, during which police allegedly remained inactive even as male and female protestors were assaulted and their clothes torn, leading to a violent police crackdown on a subsequent protest march on 18 October.
The demonstration, organised by members of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU), turned violent when police allegedly assaulted students who had gathered to demand action against ABVP members involved in the earlier attack and to file an FIR under the SC/ST Act, according to Maktoob Media.
The confrontation began during the School of Social Sciences (SSS) General Body Meeting (GBM) held as part of pre-election discussions, where a clash erupted between ABVP members and students from other organisations. JNUSU President Nitish Kumar, General Secretary Munteha Fatima, and Vice President Manisha were allegedly assaulted, with Kumar reportedly held hostage for hours along with other students.
During the assault, victims were subjected to caste-based remarks such as “reservation leke aya hai” and Islamophobic taunts like “ISI agents,” reflecting the communal and discriminatory nature of the attack.
In response, JNUSU called for a protest march from Sabarmati T-point towards the Paschimabad Gate and the local police station, demanding justice and the registration of a case under the SC/ST Act. However, the march met with police barricades, and tensions escalated when students attempted to move past them. Police allegedly began detaining and beating the protestors, many of whom sustained injuries and were taken to Safdarjung Hospital.
According to the students, officers in both uniform and civilian clothes dragged participants, pushed them into vans, and used disproportionate force. Female students were allegedly manhandled in the absence of uniformed women officers, and nine of them were detained after 6 PM. A total of 28 students, including Nitish Kumar, Manisha, Munteha Fatima, Manikant Patel, Briti Kar, and Saurya Majumdar, were taken to Kapashera Police Station and released a day later.
Following the detentions, students from across JNU, along with organisations such as AISA, SFI, BAPSA, Fraternity Movement, MSF, and AISF, mobilised in solidarity and marched to the Vasant Kunj Police Station demanding the release of their peers.
After prolonged negotiations involving teachers and advocates, all detained students were freed, while police confirmed that six FIRs had been filed in connection with the incidents.