New Delhi: The Hindu Sena put up posters and saffron flags near the main gate of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and surrounding areas.
The move comes close to a week after a clash broke out in the Kaveri hostel over serving non-vegetarian food during Ram Navami. The Hindu Sena also warned of “stringent steps” if there is an “insult to saffron”.
Hindu Sena chief Vishnu Gupta said the posters reading ‘Bhagwa (saffron) JNU’ have been put up by the right-wing outfit’s national vice-president, Surjit Singh Yadav.
In a video circulated on WhatsApp, Gupta is purportedly heard saying in Hindi, “Saffron is being insulted in the JNU campus on a regular basis. We want to warn those who are doing this. Mend your ways. We won’t tolerate this.
“We respect your ideology and every religion. Insult to saffron will not be tolerated and we might take stringent steps,” he said.
The police, however, removed the flags early on Friday morning itself. Deputy commissioner of Police (Southwest) Manoj C told the Indian Express that, in view of the recent violence at the university, the posters were promptly removed and that “suitable police action” is being taken.
Two groups of students clashed at JNU’s Kaveri Hostel on Sunday allegedly over serving non-vegetarian food in the mess on Ram Navami, with police saying six students were injured in the violence.
The two groups, however, claimed that over 60 students from both sides were injured.
The JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU) alleged that Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad members stopped students from eating non-vegetarian food in the hostel mess and “created a violent atmosphere”.
However, the right-wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) denied the charge and claimed that “Leftists” obstructed a puja programme organised at the hostel on Ram Navami. The Wire
