A clash broke out between two groups while diyas were being lit and rangolis were made during Diwali celebrations at Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia University. It is alleged that some students opposed the event, 'Jyotirmay 2024', which was organised by Rashtriya Kala Manch. Heavy police force was deployed outside the university campus after the incident on Tuesday night.
The issue escalated after both sides ended in sloganeering. Several videos from the spot showing a huge crowd on the campus have surfaced on social media.
Ravi Kumar Singh, the DCP (Southeast), told The Indian Express, "The incident occurred around 7:30-8 pm near gate 7. A group of students affiliated with the ABVP were putting up diyas and making rangolis for Diwali, which displeased another group of students."
He said the other group "wrecked the decorations", which led to a scuffle. "Both sides engaged in sloganeering. Police were deployed to maintain the peace; they are stationed there for the night as a precautionary measure. Students were ordered to disperse and the crowd left by 9 pm," the officer added.
The JMI unit of the Student Federation of India and the Congress-backed NSUI claimed that ABVP unleashed an attack on students under the guise of Diwali celebrations. ABPV denied the allegations and said it was not responsible for any ruckus on Jamia's campus. "There were some outsiders who entered the campus and started chatting slogans related to Palestine, which instigated the ruckus," ABVP's national media convenor Ashutosh Singh said.
The university saw a ruckus during Holi celebrations in March 2023 too.