Students protest cop thrashing; Delhi top cop preaches on Twitter

Agitated over the alleged assault on student protesters by police, students from various universities across Delhi on Tuesday staged a protest outside police headquarters in New Delhi blocking the traffic at ITO intersection.

A video of police thrashing a group of students with sticks and fists and dragging women by their hair outside RSS headquarters in Delhi during a protest over Dalit student Rohith Vemula's suicide had triggered widespread outrage with Congress and AAP seeking action against the erring cops.

The students from Krantikari Yuva Sangathan and Left-backed All India Students Association staged a demonstration outside the police headquarters demanding action against the cops who allegedly assaulted the protesting students.

"Government is not listening to our demands, police is attacking us, where are the students supposed to go? Hang ourselves like Rohith did and succumb to their atrocities," asked JNU Students Union Vice President Shehla Rashid Shora.

A KYS protester said, "The police commissioner needs to tell the country why cops behaved in this manner and on whose instructions they did so. They were so prompt in taking action against the students, why is the top cop not acting against his own policemen now?"

Police Commissioner B S Bassi, though, responded quoting American jurist Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Junior.

"Your liberty to swing your fist ends just where my nose begins," he tweeted.

The quote is also recorded in a 1919 Harvard Law Review essay by legal philosopher Zechariah Chafee which contained a version spoken by an anonymous judge.

Referring to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's tweet that Delhi police was being used as RSS and BJP's "private army", Bassi said that he will try to clear the CM's "misgivings" when they meet next.

"DP handled 11,156 L&O events in 2015, most peaceful. Whenever I meet Hon'bleCM, I shall try to clear his misgivings. DP is bound to protect freedom of free speech and peaceful assembly. Help DP and democracy by agitating at JantarMantar," he said in a series of tweets.

On Monday, Bassi ordered an inquiry into the incident, which he said will be probed from all aspects, including examining whether there was any "indiscretion".

A Delhi School of Social Work student, who was at the receiving end of the police assault, alleged police took turns in "brutally" thrashing him and did not even let him sip water. 

The protest by the students caused traffic jam at the ITO stretch as they did not allow the vehicles to move ahead.

The students alleged that they have been treated in similar manner by the police whenever they have tried to stage any demonstrations and raise their voice against any issue.

"Be it the 'Occupy UGC movement' or protests against sexual harassment by any professor, we always had to face similar crackdown from police. So many times we tried to go to the HRD ministry but we were not even allowed to submit memorandums," said Sunny Kumar, a protester.

The students from Jawaharlal Nehru University had decided to go on an indefinite hunger strike last week when they were detained from outside HRD ministry for staging a protest there against the alleged delay in justice to Vemula, a Dalit PhD scholar who was found hanging at Hyderabad Central University's hostel on January 17.

The protesting students have been demanding the resignations of Union ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya and the Vice-Chancellor of Hyderabad University over the issue.

The students also alleged the police is acting at the behest of Centre as two of its ministers are facing flak over the issue.

"We demand independent probe into the issue. The video is very clear where police and RSS goons assaulted students then why Bassi is taking so much time to act," asked 25-year-old Dinesh.

Another protester Nikita alleged, "Delhi Police has shown that its original colour is not khakhi but saffron. They are the private army of the Central government which thrashes protesting students demanding justice".

"The entire country is aware of our demands that Smriti Irani, Dattartreya and VC must resign immediately instead of crackdown on students," said Ritesh.

The RSS had on Monday rejected allegations that some of its workers were involved in thrashing a group of student protesters along with police personnel outside its headquarters.