'Masked Mob Was Bloodthirsty, Faculties Were Hit By Rods': JNU Professor Recalls Horror

The Jawaharlal Nehru University campus was taken over by at least 50 masked miscreants armed with sticks and rods on Sunday, January 5.

Around 30 students and 12 teachers were injured as the masked men assaulted students and teachers and vandalised hostels. In the attack – JNU Students’ Union president Aishe Ghosh was beaten with an iron rod over the eye. Disturbing footages of her bleeding profusely has also surfaced online. General Secretary Satish Chandra was also injured. The students and teachers alleged that the miscreants were from Akil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad the student wing of Bharatiya Janata Party.

The JNU Teacher’s Association (JNUTA) called for a peaceful meeting on Sunday evening to discuss the ongoing fee hike. A large number of students including JNU student president Aishe Ghosh also participated in the meeting. As the meeting was about to conclude at around 6:20 PM, students rushed to the spot, informing the teachers and their classmates about a mob of 50-70 people marching towards them.

The mob is leaving in style, courtesy @DelhiPolice and #JNU administration.
Can't believe this sight#StandWithJNU pic.twitter.com/ibXPZE1ntP

— Rajesh Mahapatra (@rajeshmahapatra) January 5, 2020

“Few of the students with troubled faces rushed to the meeting to alert us about the mob. They said that around 70 people armed with sticks and rods with their faces covered have entered the campus and were marching towards the T point,” Avinash Kumar, assistant professor at CISLS/SSS said adding that when they called a cop on the campus to check he refrained them from going to that side.

“The cop strictly asked us not to go that side after we said that we will go and take stock of the situation, hinting at the possibility that the cops present were aware of the situation inside,” Avinash said.

One of the professors present at the meeting went on his cycle to check the activities near the Periyar hostel. “Shocked with the number of outsiders armed with rods at the area, the professor started clicking some photos. It is then when the people miscreants attacked him and forced him to delete the picture,” said Avinash.

Once the mob reached the T point, they started pelting stones at the professors and students present there.

The students and teachers were running for their lives. “The people in masks were bloodthirsty. Senior professors who were unable to run were hit with rods,” Kumar said.

“There were some insiders and outsiders who went on a rampage inside the campus. They attacked arbitrarily,” Ranjani Mazumdar, professor of cinema studies, told The Logical Indian.

Ranjani alleged that only after the citizens showed up in large numbers outside the campus to inquire about the situation inside, the police took action.

“It was a premeditated, pre-planned attack on the students and professors of this campus. How can outsiders enter the campus with rods and sticks in the presence of police without the support of University administration?” asked Ranjani.

“Some of the goons even chanted slogans such as “Vande Mataram”, “Jai Shree Ram”, “Delhi Police Zindabad”, ‘Desh ke gadaron ko goli maron salon ko’,” she added

The mob later barged inside the girl’s wing of the Sabarmati Hostel. Men and women wearing masks walked through the corridors of the hostel, vandalising the property. “I was inside my room when I heard the sound of vandalisation coming from the hostel itself. I stepped outside and saw panic-stricken female students rushing inside their rooms,” said Jyoti Kumari, a student of Russian language at JNU.

“After 10-15 minutes, when the sound died down, we went to check outside, it was then when the hooligans attacked us. They carried, rods, shovels and stones and flogged the students,” added Jyoti.

“When I was recording a video of the incident, one of the miscreants hit me on the right arm with a stone and abused me. One of the female students was beaten and dragged in front of me. Police were inside the campus, but they showed up after the students were beaten-up,” she said.

Jyoti also said that the Sabarmati hostel senior warden Ramovatar Meena and another warden Prakash Sahoo fled from the spot while the mob vandalised their hostels.

Late in the evening, senior police officer Devendra Arya said the situation in the university was normal. “We carried out a flag march. The hostel areas have been secured. There is no report of violence,” he said.

Activist Yogendra Yadav who wanted to speak to the teachers and students inside the campus was manhandled thrice outside the university. He told NDTV that the attack took place right in front of the Delhi police.

Soon after the attack, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar condemned the violence. Jaishankar, who is also an alma mater of the university, wrote: “This is completely against the tradition and culture of the university” on Twitter.

The HRD ministry sought an immediate report from JNU Registrar Pramod Kumar about the situation on the campus. The students of Aligarh Muslim University, IIT Bombay, Jadavpur University, and Jamia Millia Islamia held a protest in solidarity with the JNU students and condemning the barbaric act.

Also Read: JNU Attack Sparks Nationwide Student Protests As Universities Unite Against Goons