According to JNU media incharge Vijay Jaiswal, the attack unfolded around 3 a.m. during a Left-led march from Sabarmati T-Point to the VC gate. Their week-long protests had simmered, but this was no spontaneous outburst. ‘It was a calculated strike on ABVP activists,’ he claimed, with attackers donning masks and wielding weapons in a scene reminiscent of mob lynching.

Videos captured faces of non-JNU students among the 400-strong horde, underscoring infiltration concerns. The scuffle erupted in the school zone, transforming academic halls into zones of terror.

Injured ABVP student Prateek Bhardwaj recounted his narrow escape. Disoriented amid the frenzy, he hid in an unlocked bathroom, locking it from inside. Half an hour later, a 150-person mob battered the door, drilled a hole, and unleashed extinguisher smoke to suffocate him. Security intervened post-police altercations, evacuating him for treatment where he’s now recovering but scarred.

Manish Chaudhary, ABVP’s JNU unit vice president, slammed the protesters for flouting rules—no prior notice for their anti-restriction demo or VC dharna. With scant internal support, they padlocked spaces, heckled peers, and ignited violence through stone-pelting. ‘They played the victim to justify aggression,’ he charged.

As JNU reels from this bloodied episode, it spotlights deeper rifts between ideological camps. Robust security measures and impartial probes are imperative to safeguard free expression without descending into anarchy.