Violence broke out at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Sunday night as masked men armed with sticks and rods attacked students and teachers and damaged property on the campus, prompting the administration to call in the police which conducted a flag march. At least 28 people, including JNU Students’ Union president Aishe Ghosh, were injured as chaos reigned on the campus for nearly two hours.
Along with Aishe Ghosh, two teachers and two guards, who have been admitted to AIIMS and Safdarjung Hospital.
After the mob attack on Sunday, thousands of students took to the streets and began protests across the country. The Delhi Police has registered a case against the unidentified people. The case has been registered under a section of rioting and damage to property, they said.
Eyewitnesses alleged the attackers entered the JNU premises when a meeting was being held by JNU Teachers’ Association on the issue of violence on campus and assaulted students and professors. The masked mob could be seen carrying hammers, rods, lathis, and stones in videos. Students at several JNU hostels, including Sabarmati, Mahi Mandavi, Kaveri and Periyar, complained of attacks and vandalisation in the hostels.
The brutal attack on JNU students & teachers by masked thugs, that has left many seriously injured, is shocking.
The fascists in control of our nation, are afraid of the voices of our brave students. Today’s violence in JNU is a reflection of that fear.
#SOSJNU pic.twitter.com/kruTzbxJFJ
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) January 5, 2020
Meanwhile, protesters, mainly students and teachers from Jamia Millia Islamia, JNU and Delhi University, claimed the police did not act promptly in stopping the attacks. They demanded the mob be arrested and held march inside the campus and ended at its Bab-e-Syed gate.
As many as 500 students and alumni from universities in Delhi protested outside the old Delhi Police headquarters at ITO on Sunday night after the JNU attacks. In Mumbai, thousands assembled on the pavement across the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel near the Gateway of India in solidarity with JNU. Students of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) also took out a candlelight march to protest against the same.
I am so shocked to know abt the violence at JNU. Students attacked brutally. Police shud immediately stop violence and restore peace. How will the country progress if our students will not be safe inside univ campus?
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) January 5, 2020
It has come to Ministry’s notice that a group of masked people entered the JNU campus today, threw stones, damaged property and attacked students. This is very unfortunate and highly condemnable, such acts of violence and anarchy will not be tolerated.
— Ministry of HRD (@HRDMinistry) January 5, 2020
Members of JNUSU and JNU Teachers Association (JNUTA) alleged that the attackers were from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (AVBP) – a charge denied by the RSS-affiliated outfit. Students and teachers said the attack happened at a “peaceful meeting” called by JNUTA and backed by JNUSU.
Delhi Police PRO M S Randhawa held a meeting with a delegation of students and teachers on Monday. The delegation comprising students and teachers from JNU, Jamia and Delhi University submitted an application to the Delhi Police PRO with four demands, including urgent medical assistance to injured students and arrest of the accused behind the violence.
“The police have assured us that they will look into the matter and our demands,” president Federation of Central University teachers’ associations Rajib Ray said. The students demanded that police leave the JNU campus.
Earlier, police said peace has been restored in the JNU after the violence.
Source: PTI