Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) witnessed large scale violence on Sunday (January 5) evening when dozens of masked men barged inside the campus and thrashed several students. The group of attackers also vandalised property inside the campus. The sudden attack left several students and teachers injured. JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh received severe head injuries in the rampage which continued for over an hour. The BJP linked Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the Left parties have accused each other for the violence. The Delhi Police said it has received multiple complaints in connection with the violence has a First Information Report (FIR) has been registered. The Crime Branch team has been handed over the probe into the incident.
Ministry of Human Resources has also asked JNU registrar Pramod Kumar for an immediate report on the violence. Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank appealed students to maintain peace and dignity of the university. Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik late on Sunday and asked him to submit a report in connection with the campus violence. Soon after the attack, hundreds of students gathered outside the Delhi Police Headquarters and held a protest. The late-night protest blocked the traffic at the busy ITO intersection. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who visited AIIMS to meet the injured students, slammed the government for the attack.
The JNU has been witnessing protests for over two months now over the issue of fee hike. Left-affiliated students have been demanding rollback of the fee hike, however, the university administration insists that the hike is necessary to meet the ever-rising cost of basic amenities such as water and electricity.
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