Residents of Jawaharlal Nehru University’s Sabarmati Hostel, which witnessed large scale violence on Sunday evening, wrote to the Dean of Students demanding action against hostel authorities for dereliction of duty, and the students who were part of the rampaging mob.
“There were repeated rounds of violence in Sabarmati from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. but none of the wardens were available... those present were too traumatised to react,” the students wrote.
Detailing the events of the evening, the students wrote that around 70-80 people wielding iron rods and bricks charged the hostel around 7.00 p.m.
The security guards failed to call additional security or take any action, they said.
“The gate was smashed by masked ABVP goons”, many entered the men’s wing while the others entered the women’s wing, the letter read.
The students alleged that as the violence was unleashed, hostel residents who were ABVP members cheered the mob on through a WhatsApp group.
No assistance
They further alleged that students tried to make calls or send messages seeking help but phone and Internet services were not working.
Some students who got in touch with the police were informed that the force would not be able to help them. During all this, the wardens had locked themselves inside their room in fear or refused to offer help, the students wrote.
The security guards had also abandoned their posts, they added.
“The hostel administration was categorically informed about the unbecoming conduct of ABVP students... they had been creating an unsafe environment in the campus and hostel,” read the letter.
