New Delhi: The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) elections were indefinitely suspended on Friday because of incidents of violence and vandalism took place at the Election Committee (EC) office in the last two days. The EC announced to put the election process on hold, citing serious breakdown in security and a hostile environment on campus.
“Due to recent incidents of violence and vandalism at the EC office and against EC members, the election process has been seriously disrupted. Until the safety of EC members is ensured by the administration and student organisations, the entire process, including the release of the final candidate list, has been put on hold,” the EC statement read.
The situation got worse after the EC extended the period of the nomination withdrawal deadline multiple times. The original date was set for April 16. The withdrawal window was kept open till 4:00 pm on April 17 and later it was extended to 4:30 pm.
The move was vehemently opposed by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), labelling it as undemocratic. After protests and counter-protests by Left-affiliated groups like the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and the Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students’ Association (BAPSA) turned out in to clashes. It exacerbated with properties getting damaged as tensions escalated.
EC provided another window on April 18 between 2:00 pm to 2:30 pm, prompting further protests. Barricades were removed, glass panes were destroyed at the EC office, which led to several committee members feeling unsafe in the intense environment.
The EC asked the JNU administration to take action against the perpetrators behind the violence and also ensure security before the elections resume, as reported news agency PTI.
The ABVP called the EC as puppet of the Left and said the move to halt the elections was a deliberate attempt to derail the democratic process.
(With inputs from PTI)
