Diwali celebration turned into chaos on the Delhi campus of Jamia Millia Islamia on Tuesday night as two groups of students clashed and police entered the university.
The incident occurred around Gate No. 7 of the Delhi University campus during a rangoli event by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, or the student wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Tensions were however said to have spilled over when members of the other group allegedly damaged some Diwali decorations, including rangolis and diyas, which led to a confrontation.
Videos taken and shared through social media of the scuffle show individuals involved in heated exchanges and slogan chanting. Some viral posts claimed that "Allahu Akbar" and "Palestine Zindabad" were heard during the incident.
"Around 7:30-8 pm near Gate 7, the incident took place," confirmed Deputy Commissioner of Police Southeast Ravi Kumar told Indian Express.
"A group of students who were part of ABVP were making rangolis and putting up diyas to mark Diwali. Another group was displeased with the same and started breaking the decorations. There followed a scuffle and sloganeering from both sides.," he added.
While the cause of the scuffle is not known, police have been stationed outside the campus to keep an eye on what is going on and to prevent any friction from flaring up.
