New Delhi: Following the outrage that erupted at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in the early hours of Monday, February 23, when a confrontation broke out between the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and a left-wing student organisation. Hours later, the JNU administration released a statement about the incident, stating that several academic buildings had been locked by students.
Additionally, the statement said the demonstrators entered the Central Library and intimidated other students into joining the protest, leading to a confrontation between the groups in the early hours of Monday.
The violence broke out after an ‘Equality March,’ in which students were demanding the removal of Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit over the casteist remark he made in a podcast recently.
Read JNU’s statement here:
Statement of the JNU administration dated 23 February 2026. pic.twitter.com/gh7snjgJpU
— Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) (@JNU_official_50) February 23, 2026
The Vice Chancellor also made several comments on the new UGC regulation, Dalits, and affirmative action against four student office-bearers.
The left-wing students claimed that the administration allowed the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad students to confront them, but they didn’t respond to them. However, ABVP rejected the accusations and accused the left wing of misleading students and spreading fake information.
The left-wing groups claimed that the ABVP students threw stones at them, leaving several injured.
In the issued statement, the JNU administration confirmed that strict action under university rules and regulations and under BNS is being taken to ensure a proper academic environment.
“The administration is committed to safeguarding the academic interests and well-being of all the students and protecting the public property of the university. All classes and other activities are being conducted, and all those concerned are requested to cooperate with the same,” the statement read.
The chaos began with the implementation of new UGC regulations, sparking criticism from the general category.