Left teams allege police brutality throughout JNU protest; Delhi Police says college students broke barricades

A protest by Left-affiliated scholar teams at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) demanding registration of an FIR towards ABVP on allegations of violence turned tense on Saturday (October 18, 2025) night, with the organisations accusing Delhi Police of “brutal assault” whereas the police claimed the protesters broke barricades and injured personnel.

The All India Students’ Association (AISA) mentioned that JNUSU president Nitish Kumar and a number of other college students had been “brutally beaten up” and detained by police on the JNU West Gate once they tried to march to the Vasant Kunj police station.

“JNUSU president and other students were brutalised by Delhi Police while demanding FIR against ABVP’s violence across School GBMs,” AISA mentioned in an announcement.

The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) additionally alleged that the police “pulled female students by their hair and manhandled them, including by male personnel.” It mentioned SPS councillor Abhishek was “brutally beaten” and brought to hospital.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Amit Goel denied the allegations, saying round 70-80 college students, together with ladies, gathered on the JNU West Gate round 6 p.m. and “broke police barricades, manhandled personnel, and obstructed traffic” on Nelson Mandela Marg.

“A total of 28 students, including JNUSU office bearers, were detained to prevent any untoward incident,” Mr. Goel mentioned, including that six police personnel had been injured.

Earlier, posters circulated by Left-affiliated teams had known as for a “social march for social justice” to the Vasant Kunj police station, questioning why no FIR had been filed but towards ABVP members accused of attacking Left-affiliated college students.