“For the past 68 days, there has been a movement in JNU against fee hike. The administration has tried to break this movement, but has been unsuccessful. This time they have colluded with ABVP to spread violence,” said JNUSU General Secretary Satish Yadav.
Narrating the events over the past two days which led to violence in the campus on 5 January, Sunday, Yadav said that students who were marching peacefully to the T-point were attacked with stones by ABVP students. This happened while the students were passing the Periyar hostel in the campus, he said.
“Along with students we were about to reach the T-point, when the march passed the Periyar hostel there were ABVP students on the roof who started pelting us with stones. Students were injured on their heads and the march dispersed. These students were admitted in a hospital and some students joined a meeting, as you can see, behind me. We appeal that the atmosphere in JNU should remain peaceful.”
JNUSU President Aishe Ghosh Attacked
In a video being circulated online, JNUSU’s President Aishe Ghosh, with blood running down her face, can be heard saying, “I've been brutally attacked by goons who were masked, I have been bleeding... I am not in a condition to talk.”
Warning: Distressing visuals
Sai Balaji, former JNUSU President, said, “ABVP has been attacking students who are peacefully protesting against massive fee hike in JNU. Yesterday, a mob led by Ritwik Raj who is councillor from SIS belonging to ABVP attacked students. Then they attacked JNUSU President and General Secretary Aishe and Satish and other students.”
Balaji added, “Dripta, a 1st year MA student’s leg was broken due to ABVP violence. Today, they shamelessly attacked students again injuring a student from CSM&CH (Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health). From yesterday JNU admin has let their stooges ABVP and RSS-affiliated teachers attack and spread fear and violence in JNU.”
Expressing anger against the JNU VC, Balaji alleged that the VC is not only shielding but also instigating violence through ABVP to disrupt peaceful protest of JNU students.
Pinjra Tod, a women's collective of students and alumni of colleges across Delhi, also stated on Twitter that there is “complete breakdown of normalcy at JNU and open stone pelting, beating of students with rod, lathis.”
JNUSU General Secretary Satish Yadav stated he was assaulted by JNU admin-ABVP nexus.
(Photo: Accessed by The Quint)
Meanwhile, all JNU student leaders who have been leading the protests recently have been issued circulars that they can't register for their course this year, and 5 January is the last date for registration. Many students are reportedly also not registering so that the University considers bringing out changes in the fee hike.
What is ABVP Saying?
Countering JNUSU’s claims, Durgesh, the college’s ABVP unit president, told IANS, “Around four to five hundred members of the left wing gathered around the Periyar hostel, vandalised the hostel and forcibly entered the hostel to thrash the ABVP activists inside.”
He further claimed that its presidential candidate Manish Jangid was injured badly and is likely to have a fractured hand after the assault on him.
Durgesh also alleged that stones were hurled on students which caused severe head injuries to some of them.
“They hurled stones, used batons to thrash students inside,” he claimed.
JNU Students vs JNU Admin
JNU administration said that the students agitating over the hike in hostel fees “ransacked” the server room and “intimidated” the technical staff on Saturday, 4 January, hampering the semester registration process.
However, the JNUSU said that the administration used “masked” security guards to attack students. “They were shamefully wearing masks. JNUSU president was openly slapped by one of the security guards,” alleged the students’ union, which has called for a boycott of the process over the increase in hostel fees.
The university has been seeing a standoff between the students and the administration over hike in hostel fees for over 70 days. Students even boycotted exams in protest, prompting the administration to send question papers to students through WhatsApp and email, a move condemned by the union.
(With inputs from PTI, IANS)
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