Charges against student leader Aishe Ghosh, but none held for JNU attacks

Aishe Ghosh, 18 others charged with vandalising server room on campus

January 07, 2020 10:40 am | Updated November 28, 2021 11:52 am IST - NEW DELHI:

JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh interacts with CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury at JNU campus in New Delhi on January 7, 2020.

JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh interacts with CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury at JNU campus in New Delhi on January 7, 2020.

Forty-eight hours after masked goons attacked students and teachers on the campus of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) , the Delhi police are yet to make any arrests in the case. Instead, they have registered two FIRs against injured president of the JNU Students Union (JNUSU) Aishe Ghosh and several others for allegedly attacking security guards and vandalising a server room on January 4.

The two FIRs against Ms. Ghosh and the others were registered at 8.44 p.m. and at 8.49 p.m. on Sunday even as the masked intruders were going around the campus beating up students, entering hostel rooms and ransacking them.

Faculty plaint ignored

No FIR has been filed by the police so far on a written complaint filed on Monday by a JNU faculty member, Prof. Sucharita Sen, who suffered head injuries during the attack reportedly carried out by individuals affiliated to the ABVP.

In her complaint, which has a copy of her medical report from the AIIMS, Prof. Sen has demanded that the police register an FIR that includes attempt to murder among other Sections of the law. A police source told The Hindu that this complaint would be investigated with a general FIR on Sunday’s violence against unknown persons.

The FIRs say a large number of student agitators, including Ms. Ghosh, Saket Moon and 18 others, allegedly entered the Communication and Information Services (CIS) office located in the administration block by “breaking” a glass door.

They trespassed and damaged the fibre optic cables, servers and biometric devices and “attacked” security guards, the FIRs say.

The police said the case was registered under IPC Sections 323 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (Punishment for wrongful restraint) and 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation).

 

The first incident happened on January 3 and the second on January 4.

JNU Vice-Chancellor M. Jagadesh Kumar, who has come under fire for not meeting injured students or faculty members, in a statement, said: “Our heart goes out to all injured students. The incident (violence) is unfortunate. I would like to tell students that JNU campus is a secure place.”

Scores of JNU alumni, including Prakash Karat, Sitaram Yechury and Kanhaiya Kumar, all past JNUSU presidents, staged a protest outside the campus on Tuesday, demanding action against the masked goons responsible for Sunday’s attack.

Also read | Leave past behind, return to campus: JNU VC to students

Actor Deepika Padukone meets JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh at JNU campus in New Delhi on January 7, 2020.

Actor Deepika Padukone meets JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh at JNU campus in New Delhi on January 7, 2020.

 

Mr. Yechury, now head of the CPI (M), said Sunday’s attack was not a fight between two groups, but a pre-planned attack to terrorise the student community. “The targeting of JNU started with the appointment of this V-C,” he said. 

Addressing the gathering, Mr. Kumar said suddenly Home Minister Amit Shah had raked up a four-year-old case against him in which nothing had been proved. “They [the BJP] want to fight elections in the name of JNU,” he stated. 

A growing number of celebrities have come out against the violence unleashed by masked hoodlums in JNU, with actor Deepika Padukone visiting the campus to express solidary with those attacked.

Protests continued in solidarity with the attacked students, including one in Kathmandu, led by JNU alumnus and former Nepalese Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai. 

“JNU alumni in Nepal come out in large numbers in Kathmandu to express solidarity with their alma mater. JNU is not only a university it is an idea of freedom, creativity, critical thinking &resistance to injustice,” Mr. Bhattarai tweeted.

 

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