Jamia students' protest over RSS-linked event turns violent, SFI claims many injured

A protest against an RSS-linked event in the Jamia Millia Islamia turned violent on Tuesday, as a scuffle broke out between the SFI-affiliated students and the varsity's security guards. Students belonging to the Students' Federation of India (SFI) unit of Jamia alleged that they were injured in the clash, a claim denied by the administration. The students were protesting against the university for hosting the 'Yuva Kumbh' programme to mark 100 years of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Personnel from the Delhi Police and Rapid Action Force were deployed around the campus ahead of the protest. ''Over 50 students were injured in the crackdown, with several beaten by guards...Several others were attacked and forcibly dragged by university guards,'' a statement by the SFI said. However, a university official, speaking to PTI, denied all the allegations. ''No such injuries were caused in the scuffle. Moreover, students have expressed objection to an event that was organised through proper channels,'' the official said. ''Every student, irrespective of their affiliations to any organisation, has the right to approach us regarding any event. Moreover, the discussions in the Yuva Kumbh event on Tuesday were around topics like the future of the youth and the Indian knowledge system,'' the official added. The event had drawn objections a day earlier from the SFI's Jamia unit, which termed it a ''direct provocation''. AISA Delhi president and Jamia student Saiyed alleged differential treatment by the university administration. ''This is the same Jamia where other student groups are not even allowed to hold discussions without security intervention, but the RSS has been permitted to organise a full programme in an air-conditioned hall,'' he said. He added that students would continue to resist similar events in the future to ''defend our democratic rights''.

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