Condemn the violence unequivocally: S Jaishankar tweets on JNU violence

"Have seen pictures of what is happening in #JNU. Condemn the violence unequivocally. This is completely against the tradition and culture of the university," he tweeted.

Condemning the incident, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said universities need to be safe for all students.

"Horrifying images from JNU — the place I know & remember was one for fierce debates & opinions but never violence. I unequivocally condemn the events of today. This govt, regardless of what has been said the past few weeks, wants universities to be safe spaces for all students," she tweeted.

Both the ministers are former students of the university.

Violence broke out on the restive Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus as masked men entered the varsity and attacked students and teachers and ransacked the facilities, reports said.

According to reports, around 50 masked goons stormed into the university campus and attacked teachers and students. They entered hostels, threw huge stones and destroyed property, reports added.

JNU registrar Pramod Kumar  in a statement said, "This is an urgent message for the entire JNU community that there is a law and order situation on the campus. Masked miscreants armed with sticks are roaming around, damaging property and attacking people. The JNU Administration has called the police to maintain order."

In a series of tweets, the Left-wing JNUSU tweeted the situation inside the campus and blamed it on the right wing ABVP student union. The students body claimed that its president Aishe Ghosh- who was seen bleeding on a video- was the specific target of the attackers.

Refuting JNUSU's allegations, ABVP has blamed the "communist goons" for the blatant attacks on the JNU campus.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, meanwhile, condemned the incident and tweeted: "We strongly condemn the violence on JNU campus. This is a desperate attempt by forces of anarchy, who are determined to use students as cannon fodder, create unrest to shore up their shrinking political footprint. Universities should remain places of learning and education."