10 injured as ABVP, NSUI students clash in Gujarat over JNU violence

At least 10 persons were injured during a clash between the members of ABVP and its rival NSUI in Ahmedabad on Tuesday (January 7). The incident occurred when the NSUI, the students’ wing of Congress, were protesting outside the RSS-affiliate ABVP’s office in the city’s Paldi area over Sunday’s violence in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

The police later rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control, an official said. Both the student bodies alleged that sticks and stones were used to attack each other, and claimed more than five members each from the two sides were injured in the clash.

Gujarat NSUI general secretary Nikhil Savani sustained serious head injuries and was admitted to V S General Hospital here, a member of the Congress students’ body said. In a video clip telecast by some local news channels, Savani, a close associate of Congress leader Hardik Patel, was seen being beaten by some people in the presence of policemen.

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“The situation has been brought under control. As of now, no FIR has been lodged,” a police official said. Violence broke out here when NSUI members reached outside the ABVP’s office to protest against the attack on students and teachers at JNU in Delhi on Sunday. The NSUI has been alleging that ABVP members were involved in the JNU attack.

“Our protest was peaceful. However, goons from the ABVP suddenly attacked us using sticks, stones and pipes. It was a pre-planned attack in the presence of police. Over five of our members, including Savani, were injured in the attack,” said Bhavik Solanki, another NSUI general secretary.

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However, the ABVP alleged that NSUI members came to its office with an intention to attack the activists. “The NSUI members came to our office waiving their flags. They then removed the flags and used its wooden sticks to attack our members,” ABVP member Naresh Desai said.

“Just like the ABVP members were attacked in JNU, the anti-social elements of NSUI attacked us in a pre-planned manner here,” he alleged, adding that more than five of their members were also injured in the incident.

(With inputs from agencies)