Delhi Police conducts flag march inside JNU campus after the violence in Jawaharlal Nehru University yesterday. (Photo Credit: ANI)
New Delhi :
Delhi police conducted a flag march at Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University after violence broke out on Sunday night as masked men armed with sticks and rods attacked students and teachers and even damaged property on the campus. This prompted the university administration to call in the police. However, they faced protests as angry students raised ‘Delhi police, go back,’ slogans. Students were seen surrounding the police personnel when they were conducting flag march late at night inside the 1,000-acre university.
Meanwhile, hundreds of students from different colleges and universities in the national capital staged a protest outside the old Delhi Police headquarters after the incident. Students from the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) were joined by those from Delhi University and Jamia Millia Islamia. The protesters raised slogans and demanded that police leave the JNU campus.
#WATCH Delhi: 'Delhi police, go back' slogans raised during the flag march conducted by police inside Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus. pic.twitter.com/w5OYN3DAo0
— ANI (@ANI) January 5, 2020
At least 28 people, including JNU Students' Union president Aishe Ghosh, were injured as chaos reigned on the campus for nearly two hours. Sources said the violence started around 5 PM near Sabarmati tea point. The administration said "masked miscreants armed with sticks were roaming around, damaging property and attacking people" and police had been called in to maintain law and order.
Eyewitnesses alleged the attackers entered the premises when a meeting was being held by JNU Teachers' Association on the issue of violence on campus and assaulted students and professors. They also barged into three hostels. Video footage aired by some TV channels showed a group of men, who were brandishing hockey sticks and rods, moving around a building.
"This is an urgent message for the entire JNU community that there is a law and order situation on the campus.... The JNU administration has called the police to maintain order," JNU registrar Pramod Kumar said in a statement.
The Left-controlled JNUSU and the RSS-backed ABVP blamed each other for the incident. Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Delhi Police chief Amulya Patnaik and the ministry has sought a report from him.
With PTI Inputs
