Just a day after the students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University alleged that their own security guards assaulted, molested and manhandled them in the early hours of Saturday, violence hit the campus once again on Sunday evening as 50-odd people with their faces covered entered the campus with lathis and rods and went on a rampage, attacking students as well as teachers. The president of its students' union Aishe Ghosh was attacked for the second time in a row, students and eyewitnesses present at JNU confirmed. The hashtag '#SOSJNU' began trending on Twitter soon after photos and videos of the violence began pouring in.
Students present at JNU have alleged that the attackers are from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. "They are moving around with lathis, rods, hammers with their faces under masks. They are pelting bricks, climbing over walls and getting into hostels and beating up students. Several teachers and students have also been beaten up. JNUSU President Aishe Ghosh has been brutally attacked and her head is bleeding very badly. Students are trying to save themselves while being chased by ABVP goons while the police is complicit in their crimes, it is taking the orders from Sanghi Professors, forcing students to chant Bharat Mata ki Jai slogans! It is an emergency situation and we have requested for medical and legal help immediately," said Saket Moon, the JNUSU vice-president.
The JNU students have been protesting against the fee hike and the draft hostel manual for nearly 70 days now. These incidents of uncontrolled violence come as a shock, as according to the university’s annual report, Rs 17.38 crore were spent on security and more than 400 security guards are deployed on campus. Even after such staggering figures, pandemonium is still reigning on the JNU campus.
The JNUSU President Aishe was severely injured and can be seen in a video with a bloodied face and she seems to have been hit on her head. She is heard saying, "I have been brutally attacked by goons wearing masks. I have been bleeding. I was brutally beaten up. I am not in the condition to speak right now." Several other students have also been injured during the attack.
A tweet from the JNUSU's official handle read, "Professors who were trying to protect us have been beaten up. These are unknown ABVP goons, not all are students. They have covered their faces, and they are moving towards the hotels near the West Gate. Stay alert. Make human chains. Protect each other. #SOSJNU #EmergencyinJNU". The students have also said that the perpetrators have been trying to break open doors and enter the Sabarmati, Mahi Mandvi, and Periyar hostels.
Several teachers from the JNU teachers' association have also said that their colleagues who were protesting against fee hike on campus were beaten up. Professor Sucharita Sen was severely injured and was taken to AIIMS, one of the JNUTA members said. Currently, seven ambulances have been sent to the campus to provide help for injured students and professors.
The JNUSU has appealed everyone to assemble at the JNU main gate around 9 pm on Sunday night and walk to the Delhi Police Headquarters in order to stop the reign of terror inside the campus, added Saket.
