Student assaulted over non-veg food at South Asian University

An argument over food at South Asian University (SAU) on Wednesday led to a violent clash between two student groups. The Left-leaning All India Students Association (AISA) claimed a female student was manhandled by members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in the university canteen.

A video of the incident has gone viral on social media. According to Delhi Police, the altercation started as a dispute between two groups over a food-related problem. The situation escalated into a physical fight, with the female student reportedly attacked. The victim made a PCR call to inform the police.

A senior police officer said, “The fight began over a food problem in the canteen. We are taking cognisance of the matter and the student who was assaulted is undergoing a medical examination. The facts are still being verified and we are identifying those involved.” The video shows a group of students engaged in a heated confrontation.

AISA issued a statement accusing ABVP of attacking students at the SAU mess. They alleged the violence was sparked by ABVP’s demand to stop serving non-vegetarian food in the mess due to Maha Shivratri. “ABVP members attacked students for not agreeing with their undemocratic demand,” the statement read. “The attackers manhandled female students, even dragging them by their hair and assaulted the mess staff for serving non-vegetarian food.”

On the other hand, ABVP claimed they were acting in line with the religious observances of many students. The group said on Maha Shivratri, a significant number of SAU students were fasting and had requested satvik (vegetarian) food from the mess administration in advance. “Over 110 students had confirmed their need for fast-appropriate food,” ABVP stated. “It is unfortunate left-wing groups attempted to disrupt religious harmony. When satvik food was being served, individuals associated with the Students Federation of India (SFI) tried to force non-vegetarian food onto fasting students. When they peacefully resisted, these anti-social elements ignored their pleas and resorted to violence.”

The police are continuing their investigation into the incident and are working to identify all those involved in the scuffle.

In a statement, the Delhi Police said no formal complaint was filed by any of the parties. The matter was being investigated internally by the college authorities.