JNU STUDENTS ATTACKED BY MASKED GOONS

Protest of JNU students

On 5 January 2020, more than 50 masked people armed with rods and sticks attacked the campus of Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi and injured more than 39 students and teachers.Many students received serious injuries.Professors who tried to intervene and protect the students, as well as ambulances carrying injured individuals, were also attacked. Eyewitnesses stated that policemen within the campus did not intervene to stop the mob. After attacking residents of the University campus for 3 hours, the mob escaped; none of its members were arrested or detained.

Eyewitnesses, including students injured in the attack, as well as opposition parties and left-wing organizations, accused the members of the BJP's student wing, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) of orchestrating the attacks. The ABVP, a Hindu nationalist organization, initially denied involvement and accused left wing organisations of carrying out the attack. On 6 January, ABVP's joint secretary for Delhi, Anima Sonkar, admitted on television that two armed men seen in videos of the incident were members of her organisation.

Police have said that some of the masked attackers have been identified but no arrests have been made yet and complaints have been filed as a single FIR on unknown person.All 36 students who were injured and admitted to AIIMS were discharged within 24 hours.
 

Full incident

On 5 January, at around 7 pm, a masked mob consisting of dozens of people and at least one woman,armed with iron rods, sledgehammers, sticks and bricks attacked the campus of Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi and injured the students and teachers and vandalized its hostels. The assault lasted for 3 hours, where the mob moved from one hostel to the other attacking the people. They chanted slogans calling the victims to be "naxalites" and "anti-national".Attackers shouted "Jai Shri Ram" . The slogan has been used as a battle cry by far right Hindu groups.

The witnesses stated that the attackers broke windows and also attacked the medics.[8] In the incident video attackers were seen charging down the hostel hallway raising sticks, bats and broken bottles to attack while the students shouted "get out". The leaders of student bodies with liberal views and those who spoke against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist policies were attacked. Some students locked themselves up inside rooms to escape the attackers.

Sabarmati Hostel with 400 students residing in it, was reported to have faced the worst attack. Two students of the hostel jumped from their rooms on the first floor in an attempt to escape the attackers. They fractured their legs in the jump.The hostel was badly damaged in the attack. Every floor in the hostel had shattered glass, broken doors, windows and furniture.

The assault left more than 39 students and teachers injured. When an ambulance arrived at 9 pm, carrying two doctors and two volunteers to attend to the victims, the mob surrounded the ambulance with rods and sticks, and prevented the doctors from assisting the injured. The attackers also broke the windows and punctured the tires of the ambulance attending to the victims and injured a volunteer. "There was no need to provide medical assistance to any one on the campus", said the attackers.

Street lights were shut off by the authorities during the incident. The mob roamed around the campus freely without any police intervention. students of the campus alleged the police of intentional inaction.The videos of the incident showed, students were beaten by the attackers, while the police officers were seen doing nothing. While the students escaped from the gate, the Police police officers asked them to shout "Hail Mother India." The students accused the police of intentional inaction and being complicit with the attackers.

The mob assaulted journalists and social activist, Yogendra Yadav who attempted to enter the campus on receiving news of the incident.JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh was also pictured bleeding due to the injuries sustained in the violence.Cars were completely vandalized as well as some hostel rooms in Mahi Mandavi, Sabarmati and Periyar hostel. The School of Social Sciences was also affected.The crowd of attackers were seen in videos walking around the campus with sticks.

After vandalizing the campus for around three hours, the mob went out without facing arrests or detentions by the police.The police said they received 50 SOS calls between 4 to 5. However they were only given written permission to enter the campus at 7:45pm.

Was anyone injured?

All 36 students who were injured and admitted to AIIMS were discharged within 24 hours.32 people had suffered injuries such as fractures, lacerations, abrasions and soft tissue injuries while 4 had suffered minor head injuries. Three injured were admitted to the Safdarjung Hospital.

The warden of the Sabarmati hostel resigned stating he tried but failed to provide security to the hostel. Several students left the campus calling it unsafe.

Source: Wikipedia