On Sunday, a group of masked men and women unleashed violence on one of the premier institutes of India, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), leaving 28 injured, including students, faculty members, and guards. Armed with iron rods, sticks, and acid, the group vandalized the campus for two hours on Sunday evening.
The terror started around 6:30 pm during a peace march called by the JNU Teacher’s Association on the university campus. The university faculty called the march after a tussle between left-wing student unions & activists, and the right-leaning Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) student activists. The university has been embroiled in two-month-long protests over fee hikes.
Violence against students was reported on Saturday and Sunday afternoon. Students and faculty members criticized the police for its inaction and failure to curb the violence despite multiple pleas for assistance. JNU student union president Aishe Ghosh, who suffered a severe head injury, reported that she informed police of agitators from within and outside the campus; however, her warnings went unheeded. In fact, the goons targeted ambulances in front of the police. The Delhi police registered a case under the section of damage to public property and rioting against unidentified people.
Students reported that the group targeted rooms belonging to Muslims and Kashmiri students and students associated with a left-wing stance. The ABVP, however, rebuked the claim and stated that students from left-wing attacked them.
The Union Home Ministry ordered the Delhi Police to hold an inquiry on the incident. The BJP termed the incident a ‘desperate attempt by forces of anarchy’, and accused opposition parties of using students for their political benefits. In response, the JNU students union criticized the ruling government for its continued failure in maintaining law and order on university campuses.
Image Source: Deccan Herald