JNU violence: a year on, students await justice

‘Protest marches held across campus as probe authorities trying to shelve matter’

Students during a candlelight vigil to mark one year of the JNU campus violence on Tuesday.

A year after masked miscreants entered the JNU campus, “attacked” a JNUTA event at Sabarmati T-point and entered hostels and residential areas, protest marches were held on the campus condemning the violence and demanding a speedy investigation into the incident.

While the RSS-affiliated ABVP on Tuesday organised a “padyatra against communist brutality” on the campus, the Left parties and the NSUI, along with the JNUTA, organised a human chain and an evening vigil against the “fascist attack”.

Blame game

The blame game that began a year ago between the Left-wing students and the Right-wing students continued with student leaders from both sides recounting their version of what transpired on the campus that evening.

With the Delhi police providing no closure, both sides demanded justice.

Speaking at the vigil, JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh who was attacked during the violence and suffered a head injury said, “We are fighting for a socially inclusive and gender-inclusive JNU and even if we are attacked again and again, we will continue to show our dissent and speak our voice.”

JNUSU vice-president Saket Moon said that the gathering to observe a year was important as investigation authorities are trying to shelve the matter.

‘Won’t back down’

“We have gathered to sent a message to the government, the police and the JNU administration that we have not forgotten the incident and we will not back down until the members of the ABVP who perpetrated the violence are not arrested.” Ms. Moon said.

ABVP’s JNU president Shivam Chaurasia said: “It is really sad to see how the Communists turned violent after they could not reach an amicable solution over the fee hike issue last year. Several ABVP activists and sympathisers were targeted and beaten with rods and sticks. Even the common students were not spared.”

Govind Dangi, secretary of ABVP-JNU, said that it was unacceptable that the JNU administration and the police have still not taken any disciplinary and legal action against the miscreants.

The AISA said, “Screenshot of WhatsApp messages exchanged before the attack clearly points to a planned attack and the involvement of both insiders and outsiders, including known ABVP activists from JNU and DU.”

They added that the Delhi police and the administration had not investigated the matter and alleged that the entire operation was carried out in connivance with the police and the university security.