Students 'attacked', ruckus at South Asian University as ABVP vs SFI clash over food menu

Students were beaten in the South Asian university premises on Wednesday by the ABVP for not following their demand that no non-veg should be served in the university mess owing to Maha Shivratri, the students' federation of India claimed.
In a statement, the SFI said that ABVP "viciously attacked" the students of South Asian University in the mess because they were not complying with their "draconian and undemocratic demand" and demanded for a strict action from the SAU administration against them.
"ABVP viciously attacked the students of SAU in the university mess because they were not complying with ABVP's draconian and undemocratic demand that no non-veg should be served in the university mess owing to Maha Shiv Ratri. University mess is a common place of all students and imposition of the dietary practices of any one community on the larger student community is undemocratic and unsecular," the SFI said in a statement.

"ABVP goons are seen on video manhandling and attacking students in the mess. The goons grabbed the hair of women students and dragged them violently during the attack. They also attacked the mess staff for serving non-veg food. Such violent goons and their draconian principles of exclusion have no place in our university campuses that are supposed to be democratic, secular and safe spaces of education. The students of SAU believe that these goons will continue these attacks in the campus to unleash more violence against the common students.
SFI Delhi demands strict action from the SAU administration against the ABVP goons that attacked the students in the mess. They should be stopped immediately before they unleash more violence in the campus against the common students who resisted their vicious attack," it added.
Earlier, Delhi police also confirmed that a viral video of a girl being beaten is of today over an argument between two groups of students in the canteen over an issue related to food and then a fight broke out.

Police said that the victim student informed the police by making a PCR call. Currently, the victim is being medically examined and facts are being verified, Police added.
After the SFI's statement, ABVP claimed that the SFI tried to forcibly serve non-veg in one of the University mess, where satvik food were being served.
"A large number of students observed fast on the auspicious occasion of Mahashivratri at South Asian University (SAU). Respecting religious faith and tradition, these students had earlier requested the mess administration to arrange satvik food for them on this special day. When the matter was discussed with the mess manager, about 110 students confirmed that they wanted food meant to be consumed during fasting," ABVP said.

"Accepting this demand of the students, the university administration arranged satvik food in one of the two different messes. But it is extremely unfortunate that some leftist goons deliberately tried to spoil this religious harmony. When satvik food was being served in the mess designated for fasting students, people associated with SFI tried to forcibly serve non-veg there," it added.