In Mumbai, meanwhile, barely hours after the police evicted around a hundred protesters from the Gateway of India and dropped them at Azad Maidan, the 'Occupy Gateway' protest was called off. The protesters are likely to join the 'Bharat bandh' called by the trade unions tomorrow against the Centre's 'anti-people' policies. The police cited inconvenience to tourists and residents and shifted the protesters. "Roads were getting blocked and locals, as well as tourists, were facing problems. We had appealed to protesters many times and have now relocated them to Azad Maidan," Sangramsingh Nishandar, DCP (Zone 1) said.
Of the 36 injured in the attack, four suffered head injuries while the others sustained soft tissue injuries on the head, scalp, elbows, and hands. Aishe Ghosh who received 16 stitches after the attack on her, alleged that the Sunday violence was an organised attack, and some “RSS-affiliated professors” were promoting it.
The HRD Ministry has, meanwhile, expressed "displeasure" over the insensitivity displayed by the JNU administration. The Ministry also advised them not to "precipitate" the matter by pursuing police cases and disciplinary action against students. Both teachers and students injured in the violence said no one from the JNU administration had reached out to check on them.
Masked men wielding sticks, rods and sledgehammers terrorised Jawaharlal Nehru University for close to three hours on Sunday evening, entering hostels, attacking students and teacher. 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.
A day after goons unleashed terror inside the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus, the Delhi Police crime branch Monday registered a case against unidentified persons for rioting and damage to property. Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal this morning and directed him to speak to representatives of JNU regarding the violence. The development came after the L-G met the JNU Registrar and Pro-Vice-Chancellor this morning.
Also read | JNU violence – A timeline of events
HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal called the incident “unfortunate” and urged students to maintain peace and protect the dignity of the university. His ministry tweeted, “a group of masked people entered the JNU campus today, threw stones, damaged property and attacked students. This is very unfortunate and highly condemnable, such acts of violence and anarchy will not be tolerated.”
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal held a meeting at his residence this morning, which was attended by senior AAP leaders. On Sunday, Kejriwal had expressed “shock” at the violence on campus. “Students attacked brutally. Police should immediately stop violence and restore peace. How will the country progress if our students will not be safe inside the university campus?” he had tweeted. He later said he had spoken to the L-G and urged him to direct the police to restore law and order on campus.
The senior warden of Sabarmati hostel in JNU resigned after citing security reasons at the campus. “I am informing you that I am resigning… because we tried but can’t provide the security to hostel,” the resignation letter read.
Students from various educational institutions in Pune march from FTII to SPPU in solidarity with the JNU students. Citizens also join in.
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Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone visits campus, expresses solidarity with students
Visuals from JNU public hearing. JNU ex-student and CPI leader Kanhaiya Kumar, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury, Kavita Krishnan and Yogendra Yadav present. (Express Photos: Tashi Tobgyal)
West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar Tuesday accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of a "selective approach" in condemning the assault on JNU students and said the silence of authorities over what happened at Jadavpur University is "painfully worrisome". (PTI)
A protest was organised near Mumbai's busy Churchgate station on Tuesday evening against the Sunday violence on JNU campus in Delhi. The protesters, mainly comprising women, held placards criticising the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), which is accused of orchestrating the attack on JNU students, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. (PTI)
Teams from Physics, Chemistry and Biology divisions of the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) were in the university, sources said.
The Physics team will collect evidence such as rods and stones used by the masked mob to attack students and teachers at the university, while the Chemistry team will collect samples of chemicals, if there are any. The biology team will collect DNA samples, among other evidence.
A team of photo experts from the FSL was also present at the campus. Delhi Police has requested the FSL to also send a computer forensics team to analyse CCTV footage and it is likely to visit the university on Wednesday, according to the sources. (PTI)
Nearly 50 IIT Bombay students and faculty members gathered to reiterate the values of Constitution in the aftermath of the attacks in JNU. (Express Photo: Abha Goradia)
Yogendra Yadav speaks at the JNU public hearing. (Express Photo: Tashi Tobgyal)
Forensic experts conduct inquiry at Sabarmati Hostel in JNU. (Express Photo: Tashi Tobgyal)
Members of civil society, political activists and various others from the society take out a massive rally in Kolkata against the attack on JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh and CAA, NPR, NRC. (Express Photo: Partha Paul)
SFI, TSU, and left student organisations hold a protest march in Tripura against JNU attack. They have called for a nation-wide strike on January 8 condemning attacks on students in educational institutions.
On delay in calling the police on campus on January 5, VC Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar said, "When there is law and order situation, we don't rush to police immediately; we see if varsity security can handle it. We informed police on Sunday when we saw the possibility of aggressive behaviour among students." Read more...
Joy Tirkey, DCP- Crime, Delhi Police, said "All those who are witnesses to JNU violence or have any info about it or have captured any activity on mobiles or camera, are hereby requested to come forward and give their statements, footage or pictures to SIT at administrative block, JNU campus."
Bollywood star Ajay Devgn on Tuesday said violence is not a solution to any problem and the Jawaharlal Nehru University attack is "very sad".
"I have been watching the news since morning. It's very conflicting. Till now, we don't know who has done what. So till the time this is not clear, I don't know how to comment. It is all very sad what's happening," Ajay told PTI in response to a question on his views on the JNU attack.
"Whoever is doing it, is wrong. Violence is not a solution to anything, it's just harming our country. What is the agenda behind it, if you know, then please tell me because whatever there is in the news is not clear," he added. (PTI)
Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale on Tuesday said those who indulged in the mayhem in Jawaharlal Nehru University should be identified at the earliest and arrested. Talking to mediapersons here, Athawale, the president of RPI(A), an ally of the BJP, said the fact-finding team headed by Delhi Police joint commissioner Shalini Singh, which has been asked to probe into the incident, should complete its job as soon as possible so that the perpetrators of the crime are brought to book. (PTI)
Author and theatre activist Shamsul Islam asks police where they were when outsiders entered the campus and rampaged on January 5.
Supreme Court Bar Association condemns violence and the police inaction inJNU.
Jadavpur University students hold protests in Hazra in Kolkata against JNU Violence, Citizenship Amendment Act and NRC.
Days after the Jawaharlal Nehru University was rocked by violence, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday said educational campuses must not become safe havens for the politics of hate and violence to thrive.
"Our children, when they leave the portals of the educational institutions must be enlightened citizens who will take an abiding interest in protecting our democracy and preserving the fundamental values that are enshrined in our constitution. But our campuses must not become safe havens for the politics of hate and violence to thrive. Academic endeavors and co-curricular initiatives must attain primacy in our universities and not factionalism and divisive tendencies," Naidu said.
JNU alumni march led by Sitaram Yechury, Prakash Karat has been stopped by Delhi Police at the university main gate. The alumni not being allowed to enter.
The NSUI alleged their members were attacked by the ABVP members in Ahmedabad's Panadi area while they were protesting against violence on JNU campus. The incident took place outside the office of the RSS-affiliated ABVP in the city’s Paldi area. 10 people have been injured, reported PTI. The ABVP, however, claimed that it was not an attack but a clash between the members of both outfits. It also claimed that students of both the organisations were injured in the clash. Read more...
Heavy barricade at the north gate of JNU campus from where the alumni march is supposed to enter the campus.
Members of the students' wing of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Tuesday blackened a board outside the office of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad in Pune. The incident took place around 11.30 am at the ABVP office located in Sadashiv Peth area in Pune. "We blackened the board of ABVP as a sign of protest against the brutal attack on the JNU students." said Vishal More, an office-bearer of the students' wing of the NCP who also posted the photos of the incident on his Facebook wall.
AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday crtiticised the Delhi Police for registering an FIR against "the girl who was injured in the violence" at JNU instead of booking those who made an attempt to 'kill' her.
"...they made an attempt to kill that union president. First thing is that inquiry should look into how did the police allow them. Secondly, what did the vice-chancellor do. Thirdly, even the police allowed safe passage for goonda elements," news agency PTI quoted Owaisi as saying.
JNU alumni including Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury are marching from the varsity's old campus to its north gate.
Union Minister Nityanand Rai on Tuesday said BJP worker or leader can incite violence and alleged that the Congress and the AAP were behind the attack. More than 35 students and teachers were injured on Sunday when some masked me and women attacked students and professors besides vandalising property. Read more...
Addressing a press conference, JNU VC Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar said, “The incident that took place on Sunday, Jan 5 is unfortunate. Our campus is known for debates and discussions to resolve any issues. Violence is not a solution. We will find every opportunity to make sure that normalcy returns to the University.” Stating that the registration process for the winter semester has been restarted, he said, “Let us make a new beginning and put the past behind.”
Clashes broke out between NSUI and ABVP in Ahmedabad's Panadi area today, with both the parties accusing each other of initiating the violence. While the details of the incident are not clear yet, both the parties played blame game on Twitter."
"Bharatiya Janata Party believes in law and order. No worker or leader of BJP can think of such a thing or incite anyone. This is work of communists and Congress and Kejriwal," Nityanand Rai, MoS Home on JNU violence
People from various Left organisations hold protest in Kerala
North East Students' Organisation (NESO) on Tuesday termed the recent violence at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) as "barbaric" and alleged that the central government has failed to protect the innocent students of the premier institute. Advisor, NESO Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharya also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah must take immediate steps to book those involved in the violence at JNU on Sunday. Bhattacharya said students community of the Northeastern region was solidly behind the students of the JNU. To express solidarity with JNU students, the NESO will stage protests on January 8 and 9 in all states of the region.
Union minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday said "masked" men involved in the JNU attack will be exposed soon as the Home Ministry has ordered an inquiry into the incident. "Also, misunderstandings are deliberately being spread in JNU and in others parts of the country to incite violence, which will also be exposed," he said Talking to reporters on the sidelines of an event
JNU Professor Sucharita Sen, who suffered head injuries during an attack on students and teachers in the university campus on Sunday, has filed a police complaint. Sen said outsiders had gathered at the university campus with sticks, rods, and deadly weapons. She said she was first hit with a large stone on her shoulder and then with even a larger one on her head, following which she fell on the ground bleeding profusely (PTI)
Delhi Police is yet to disclose names of suspects in Sunday’s violence at JNU, but the Vice-Chancellor Monday sought to suggest it was the Left-led JNU Students’ Union which may be linked to it. "The protesting students damaged the University communication servers to disrupt the winter semester registration. They prevented thousands of students from doing their winter registration. Their intent is clearly aimed at disrupting the functioning of the University. This is simply hooliganism and against the ethos of JNU. No such person will be spared and appropriate action will be taken.” The JNUSU has been protesting against hostel fee hike on campus.
Students of the Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University staged a protest here on Tuesday against the attack JNU students and teachers. The protesters, under the aegis of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Vidyarthi Sanghatna, a local body of students, gathered outside the university's front gate here in Maharashtra and shouted slogans condemning the JNU violence. "The violence at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi should not be given a political colour, like Left or right wing angle, but a fair probe should be conducted into it," the student body's president, Bhushan Waghmare, told PTI.
A team of forensic officials reaches campus to probe the violence
The Indian Express' Sukrita Baruah spoke to residents of eight hostels to put together the sequence of events – from Periyar hostel, which saw clashes in the afternoon, to Sabarmati hostel, which the mob targeted in the evening. While one student kept shouting that he is blind, another had to jump out of his balcony to save himself. Read their stories here
"No fresh incident has been reported from any part of the university. Active deployment of police to continue both inside and outside the university," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Devender Arya said, reported ANI
The Mumbai Police insisting on noting down the names of those present at Gateway of India last night. The students are being asked to show their id cards and a list of those detained is being prepared. Nishith Mishra, additional CP (South) assures protestors that their careers will not be impacted. He, however, clarifies that he has not been given any orders to not take action in 68 and 69 of the Bombay Police Act. Pictures of the students are also being clicked.
Iram Siddique, our Mumbai correspondent is tracking all details from Azad Maidan
A team of Delhi Police Crime Branch officials has arrived in the campus to probe the violence that broke out on Sunday
JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh who received 16 stiches due to the attack on her and said she sees this "as an attempt to murder." "This was targeted violence to break our resolve and movement. If the V-C has any sense of morality, he should resign,” said Ghosh, admitting that despite the violence in Jamia, she never imagined that “RSS goons” would be given a free hand on the JNU campus.
Few protesters are still put up at Azad Maidan as Mumbai Police is insisting on noting down the names of all those who had gathered. Negotiations are underway. Housing Minister Jitendra Awhad is also scheduled to come to Azad Maidan along with some other Sena leaders to talk about the police action
CPI (M) Tuesday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence on the violence in JNU, charging that he was either "complicit or incompetent." "Modi's silence speaks loudest. A PM who cannot summon his voice when students a few kilometres away from his residence are beaten up is either complicit or incompetent," CPI (M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury tweeted.
Two days after the violence in JNU, BJP's former ally Shiv Sena Tuesday hit out at the party blaming them for taking "revenge" after being cornered over CAA. Calling the attack a "blot" on the law and order situation, an editorial in Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' read, "The fallout of JNU attack is being seen elsewhere in the country...what Modi and Shah want is happening. The country is in danger. Divisive politics is dangerous for the country...Allowing bloodstains in universities, colleges and beating up of students and indulging in politics over the burning situation...such brutal politics was never seen before." It alleged that the BJP wanted to see "Hindu-Muslim riots" over the Citizenship Amendment Act, but that did not happen. Since the BJP has been cornered over the issue of CAA, several things are happening out of "revenge", it said, as reported by news agency PTI
As protestors leave Azad Maidan, the Mumbai Police are noting down their names with an assurance that no arrests will be made. "Action will be taken against 10-15 people under section 68,69 section of IPC while names of all others are needed just for their safety to ensure no one goes missing after leaving Azad Maidan as they were detained by us. Every Mumbaikar is my responsibility. There will be no action against them. I'm not taking any address or contact number. I'm urging people to be a little transparent," Sangram Singh, Mumbai Police spokesperson said.
Hundreds of protesters who gathered at Mumbai's iconic Gateway of India since Sunday night to protest against the mob attack in JNU were shifted to Azad Maidan by the police this morning. Following this, the protest has been called off. "We were forcibly shifted here to Azad Maidan by Police. But now we have called off our 'occupy Gateway of India' protests, it was a successful protest. Our resistance will continue, we have a long line up of programs," Kapil Agarwal, a protester said.
This morning, 50 to 100 protesters were shifted to Azad Maidan from Gateway to India. According to protesters, the police are not allowing any more entries in the ground and have also stopped agitators to leave from Azad Maidan unless they give an assurance that they'll not go back to Gateway. The protesters are now contemplating their next move.
At least eight office-bearers of ABVP, the chief proctor of JNU, a teacher of a Delhi University-affiliated college and two PhD scholars were members — some as active participants — of at least three WhatsApp groups where messages threatening violence against students of the university did the rounds on Sunday. JNU chief proctor Vivekananda Singh was a member of the group ‘Friends of RSS’, one of the groups active before and during the violence. When contacted, Singh said he was not aware of the conversations on the group. Read here
Something has changed in India over the last few months. In Delhi, those who watched the country change, lose its character have finally decided to show up for others. As with Jamia, so with JNU. It is not difficult to imagine what will follow. More voices from the BJP, the Union government and their loud sympathisers will try to present this as a clash between student groups; Urban Naxals will be brought up and a minor disagreement between students — an everyday part of campus life — will be used as a justification for creating terror in a place that dissents. And, given the love for “debate”, of pretending that there are two equal sides to every immortality, the discourse will move on as it always does. But it need not be so. Read here
Of the 36 people injured during the violence at Jawaharlal Nehru University Sunday, four suffered head injuries while the others sustained soft tissue injuries on the head, scalp, elbows, and hands. Five of the injured suffered minor injuries. The rest sustained moderate to serious injuries that are not immediately life-threatening. A look into the type of injuries after the Sunday violence. The injured were treated at the AIIMS Trauma Centre and discharged Monday morning.
Voicing concern over Sunday’s attack on students in JNU, Nobel Laureate Abhijit Banerjee said that the “real worry” for him was youth resorting to violence to resolve conflicts. “The recourse to violence is extremely frightening for the future sense of policy because it does create this worry for the youth of today. Their way of resolving a conflict is by beating other people. That’s the real worry for me,” said Banerjee — an alumnus of JNU , while speaking at the Express Adda Monday. Click here to find out all that he has to say on JNU violence
Pratap Bhanu Mehta writes: The shocking violence at JNU should convince you of one simple proposition; India is governed by a regime whose sole raison d’etre is to find an adversarial rallying point and crush it by brute force. The current political regime cannot exist unless it finds a new enemy. The targeting of enemies — minorities, liberals, secularists, leftists, urban naxals, intellectuals, assorted protestors — is not driven by a calculus of ordinary politics. It is driven by will, ideology and hate, pure and simple. Read the entire opinion here
The mob that went on a rampage in JNU was empowered by the very government that is vested with the power and responsibility to uphold law and order, to act as it did. It did not happen in a day, of course; it has been in the works ever since JNU was seen by the establishment as a rebel outpost. A campus where goons are empowered is a campus that will shrivel — and shrink a nation’s future. Read more
Delhi Police has also filed an FIR against JNU students union leader Aishe Ghosh and 19 other people for allegedly vandalizing the university server room on January 4, a day before a mob attack. The FIR, registered post 8 pm on Sunday, was filed on the basis of a complaint by the JNU administration that had been filed earlier.
Eminent economist and JNU professor C P Chandrasekhar on Monday said he had withdrawn from the newly-constituted 28-member Standing Committee on Statistics (SCES), chaired by former chief statistician Pranob Sen, citing the situation in the university. The committee was constituted last month to improve the quality of data amid criticism of the government over political interferences and is scheduled to meet today. "I regret to inform you that because of the situation in JNU, where I stay, I will be unable to attend the meeting. Further, I feel that under the current conditions, this committee is unlikely to be able to restore the credibility of the statistical system, which has been undermined in the recent past," he said. (PTI)
Police personnel outside the main gate of Jawaharlal Nehru University.
The Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry conveyed its “displeasure” Monday to the officers of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) over the insensitivity displayed by the administration towards the students injured in Sunday’s violence. The Ministry also advised the university not to “precipitate” the matter by pursuing police cases and disciplinary action against the students. “The idea is not to close the university, but ensure that things return to normal,” a Ministry official said. This was conveyed to JNU in a meeting held between a team of university representatives and senior Ministry officials Monday, The Indian Express has learned. Read more
Both teachers and students injured in the violence said no one from the JNU administration had reached out to check on them. “There has been no call or any kind of reaching out from the Vice-Chancellor or anyone from the administration. There hasn’t even been a single message sent,” said Professor Shukla Sawant, who was injured during the stone-pelting by masked men.
Film writer Mayank Saxena who was at Gateway of India last night, told the Indian Express, "Around 200 of us were put up at Gateway when nearly 100 policemen and policewoman came around 6 am. Some of us were sleeping and they woke us up and asked us to vacate. When we refused, they forcefully made us sit in their van. Some women protestors were manhandled. We have been brought to Azad Maidan and the police are not letting us go, nor allowing anyone to come here. However, we have been asking youths to reclaim Gateway, and a few lawyer friends are on the way. Nearly 100 protestors have been kept at Azad Maidan. "
Advocate Lara Jesani one of the protestors in Mumbai said that nearly all the protestors have been moved from Gateway to Azad Maidan grounds. Jesani says that around 500 people were moved and have now been kept at Azad maidan. The police has blocked the entry to Azad Maidan and not allowing people to enter. Hundreds of people, including students, women and senior citizens - who assembled at the iconic Gateway of India since Sunday midnight - demanded action against the culprits and called for Union Home Minister Amit Shah's resignation.