Masked mob attacks students in JNU, at least 15 students & teachers injured, activist Yogendra Yadav manhandled

Violence hit Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Sunday evening as a group of masked goons entered the campus and went on a rampage, beating up students and teachers.

At least 15 injured students were taken to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), and had been admitted to the trauma care centre there. Several students said that stones were being thrown at students and some were beaten with lathis.

The administration called in police to take control of the situation. The JNUSU said that the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the students’ wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was behind the attack. Aishe Ghosh, the president of the students’ union, has also been taken to AIIMS, after she was hit on the head. “I have been brutally attacked by goons wearing masks,” she told reporters. JNU professor Sucharita Sen was also injured in the attack.

A student of JNU told NDTV in an interview that he was part of a peace march that was suddenly attacked by a group of masked people who started throwing stones. The peaceful march had been called to protest ABVP’s attack on some JNU students. Another student said that the goons were going from hostel to hostel and attacking students. There was fear among students and teachers, especially those who live inside the campus.

Activist Yogendra Yadav, who went outside the campus’ gate was reported to have been manhandled. Activists and journalists reported that they were not being allowed to enter the campus. Nidhi Tripathi of the ABVP gave out a public statement saying that “Communist goons” had created the trouble in the campus.