JNU forms panel to probe attack; students hold march

The Jawaharlal Nehru University has formed a five-member committee to probe the January 5 violence on the campus that had left around 35 people injured, and recommend measures to ensure safety of students, Vice Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar said on Thursday.

The panel will also probe lapses, if any, in security, Kumar told PTI.

A group of masked people armed with sticks and rods attacked students and teachers and damaged property on the campus on Sunday, prompting the university administration to call in the police.

At least 35 people, including JNU Students' Union president Aishe Ghosh, were injured in the violence. They were admitted to AIIMS Trauma Centre and discharged on Monday.

Meanwhile, hundreds of demonstrators, including students and members of civil society organisations, hit the streets on Thursday protesting the violence and demanding resignation of the vice-chancellor.

The protesters, carrying placards and banners, started a march from Mandi House towards the Human Resource Development Ministry.

However, the Delhi Police stopped the march near Shashtri Bhawan.

Communist Party of India-Marxist leaders Sitaram Yechury, D Raja, Prakash Karat and Brinda Karat and Loktantrik Janata Dal leader Sharad Yadav also joined the march.

Slogans of 'Halla Bol' and 'Inquilab Zindabad' rent the air as the agitating people waited for JNU students to arrive at the protest venue.

Banners with messages such as 'No CAA, No NRC', 'Ban ABVP from university campuses', 'Reject Violence', 'Education is not a commodity to be bought or sold' dotted the swelling crowd that demanded strict action against those involved in the campus violence of January 5 that left more than 35 injured.

"People have started speaking up and that is what these people are not able to take. They are manufacturing stories that the protests have nothing to do with students or workers but are political," Brinda Karat said, referring to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led government.

Yechury said, "For three hours, people wearing masks beat up varsity students. They entered the campus with police being present at the main gate."

Alleging that the incident could not have happened without the vice-chancellor knowing about it, he said, "The VC has to go."

On Sunday, a mob of masked men stormed the campus and targeted students in three hostels, unleashing mayhem with sticks, stones and iron rods by hitting inmates and breaking windows, furniture and personal belongings.

The JNU students union has been demanding a rollback of the hostel and mess fee hike and had boycotted the registration process for the next semester.