New Delhi: Two groups of students got engaged in a clash at the South Asian University (SAU) in New Delhi over non-vegetarian food allegedly being served in the mess on Maha Shivratri on Wednesday.
The groups involved in the fight — Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) — levelled allegations against each other.
The Delhi Police stated that the situation at the university was peaceful and that no formal complaint had been filed. The university is reportedly carrying out an internal inquiry into the matter.
A senior police officer reportedly said that they got call regarding a quarrel from South Asian University around 3.45 pm in Maidangarhi Police Station. The cops swung into action and rushed to the spot and found that there was an altercation between two groups in the mess.
Groups trade accusations
In a statement, SFI Delhi alleged the ABVP members assaulted some students, including women, in the university mess for not complying with their demand that non-veg food should not be served on Maha Shivratri. The SFI claimed that the ABVP members even attacked mess staff for serving non-vegetarian food.
However, the ABVP, in its statement, rubbished the claims and accused the SFI members of forcibly trying to serve non-vegetarian food in a mess designated for fasting students. The ABVP pointed out that this act was a violation of religious freedom and an attempt to disrupt religious harmony.
Purported videos of the clash in the mess have emerged online and gone viral. The Delhi SFI also posted a video on its X handle claiming that the ABVP members assaulted women students in the SAU mess.
In the post, the SFI Delhi wrote: “The ABVP attacks women students in SAU. Showing their cowardice and anti-women attitude, ABVP attacked women students in SAU. We condemn the ABVP’s actions in the most fierce terms and extend solidarity to the courageous students of SAU.”
