Security has been beefed up outside the Jamia campus after ABVP's call for Diwali celebrations on Wednesday. Delhi Police personnel have been deployed in large numbers at Jamia Gate No. 7 for security purposes. Last night, a violent clash was reported between two groups of students during Diwali celebrations. Delhi Police said that the university administration has not permitted Diwali celebrations inside the university campus. Police said it also did not give any permission for Diwali celebrations outside the university campus.
No complaint received, say police
A police officer said no complaint has been received in connection with the incident which took place on Tuesday night. The Diwali event was organised by the Rashtriya Kala Manch (RKM), a dimension of RSS-backed Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) at the university. The ABVP said it will hold a 'deep mahotsav' again on Wednesday evening.
Jamia University issues statement
On the incident that took place during Diwali Celebrations at Jamia Millia Islamia last evening, the university administration would like to say that it appears to be a completely sponsored incident and there seems to be involvement of some outside elements in it with an attempt to disturb the peaceful atmosphere of the university.
"The students were given conditional permission by the administration to celebrate Diwali. Everything went on peacefully until 7:30 p.m. when some sloganeering was started by some unidentified persons. It shows that the outside elements in the crowd deliberately created disturbance as per a well thought out strategy which was later on joined by some other students in a fit of rage," the university said.
The university administration has filed a formal complaint in the Jamia Nagar Police Station against the unidentified persons in this matter. Besides, the accused are being identified by the University through CCTV footages and internal sources for taking appropriate action against them.
It is worth mentioning that Jamia Millia Islamia is an important center of Ganga-Jamuni culture of the country and every year people of all religions celebrate festivals here happily.
What police said on the scuffle?
According to police, the scuffle broke out after a group of students disrupted Diwali celebrations by another. The situation was brought under control and the students dispersed following the intervention of university security personnel.
Purported videos of students chanting "communal" slogans inside the campus are doing the rounds on social media.
After receiving information about tensions inside the university, police personnel were deployed outside its gate and around the campus as a precautionary measure, the officer said.
Another senior officer said local police have been asked to increase vigil around the campus. Unfazed by the incident, students plan to hold a 'deep mahotsav' on the campus on Wednesday evening, according to ABVP national media convener Ashutosh Singh.
