Udhayanidhi Stalin checks on Tamil student attacked in JNU clash

CHENNAI: A day after clashes between student factions in Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi, Tamil Nadu Sports Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin asked after an injured Tamil student via video call.

The minister was seen travelling in a car while interacting with the student.

In the video, Udhay asked if the student has sustained a head injury and whether he was in the hospital. While most of what the student responded were unclear due to audio issues, he was clearly heard saying many students have been attacked and the attacks were perpetrated by BJP's campus wing ABVP.

JNU campus turned into a warzone on February 19 as SFI and ABVP students were attacking each other. Versions differ as to who started the violence. While the right-wing group claims SFI objected to and vandalised Chhatrapati Shivaji and Maha Rana Pratap's portraits, left-backed SFI asserts that it was the ABVP that waylaid its candlelight march in solidarity with Darshan Solanki who had killed himself due to alleged caste discrimination in IIT Bombay.

Tamil leaders belonging to either of the political ideologies held onto these respective versions and were having heated exchanges. Chief Minister MK Stalin condemned ABVP to which BJP's state chief Annamalai launched salvos.