NEW DELHI, Jan 5 – Violence swept the Jawaharlal Nehru University here on Sunday as several masked individuals, both male and female, thrashed students, including girls, and teachers inside the varsity campus with wooden and metal rods.

Masked men wielding sticks, rods and sledgehammers terrorised Jawaharlal Nehru University for close to three hours on Sunday evening, entering hostels, attacking students and teachers and leaving 26 injured.

Eyewitnesses and many of those injured said the men, who as per some estimates numbered around 100, were mostly outsiders and belonged to the ABVP — a charge the RSS student outfit denied. Eyewitnesses also accused police of failing to stop the mob from entering the campus or ending the violence sooner, despite calls from JNU as well as frantic students and teachers, reports the Indian Express

Among those injured were 22 students, including JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Aishe Ghosh, two teachers and two guards, who have been admitted to AIIMS and Safdarjung Hospital.

ANI news agency says: Two officer-bearers of the Jawaharal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU), including President Aishe Ghosh – who was reportedly hit over the eye with an iron rod, received severe injuries. They accused RSS’ student wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP) for the rampant violence in the campus.

“I have been brutally beaten up by masked people. I don’t know who they were,” Ghosh said as she broke into tears while blood flowed profusely from her head. She has been taken to a nearby hospital.

JNUSU General Secretary Satish Chandra was also injured in the attack. JNUSU vice president Saket Moon also accused the ABVP of leading the attack, which was bolstered by outsiders.

In a WhatsAap message to the media, Moon said:’ “ABVP has formed a mob of goons from outside the JNU campus. They are going room to room with sticks, stones.”

Hostel rooms, and lobbies were vandalised during the assault while several vehicles standing on roads were damaged by the unidentified miscreants. The administration’s response on the issue is still awaited, while police had reached the spot also. The situation turned violent after masked goons attacked a peace march being carried out by teachers and students against the violence in campus.

Earlier, the ABVP had accused Left inclined students of vandalising the Periyar hostel and severely injuring various students present inside the hostel.

  JNU, naked politics, violence