JNU clash: Delhi Police register two separate FIRs

Delhi Police have registered two separate FIRs in connection with a scuffle that broke out between two groups of students on the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus, officials said on Friday.

New Delhi:DelhiPolice have registered two separate FIRs in connection with a scuffle that broke out between two groups of students on the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus, officials said on Friday. Police had said that two students were injured in Thursday's clash, while university sources claimed only one student suffered injuries. The scuffle near the Narmada Hostel was a fallout of events that unfolded at a birthday party on Wednesday, the sources said earlier.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (southwest) Manoj C said, "On the complaint of JNU student Nishant Nagar, a case under sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered. He further added that on the complaint of another JNU student Kartik, a second FIR under similar sections has been registered in Vasant Kunj North police station and further investigation is underway.

The incident takes place after two students were injured in a clash at Jawaharlal Nehru University over a personal dispute in New Delhi on Thursday, Students Union Councillor Anagha Pradeep said that some boys were brought in from outside in the fight, while also attributing the lack of security guards on the campus as one reason for the same. The councillor said that the security office was informed about a ruckus in one of the hostels but neither they nor JNU admin took steps to ensure students' security and added that the JNU security has failed them "time and again". According to Delhi Police, at 5 pm, a PCR call was received regarding a scuffle near Narmada Hostel on the JNU campus. When the police team reached the spot, it was found that there was a fight between two groups over some personal issue in which two students were injured.

Speaking to ANI, the Students Union Councillor expressed her dissatisfaction over the security situation at the campus and said, "We received a message last night of a ruckus at Narmada hostel and a student was badly thrashed. Before that, there was a brawl at Sutlej hostel. The security office was informed but neither they nor JNU admin took steps to ensure students' security."

"When we received a message in the afternoon that stick-carrying and tube light-wielding mob is coming here in big cars, the JNUSU president informed the Delhi Police. JNU security has failed us time and again," Anagha added. She alleged that the campus is becoming unsafe because the JNU administration and Delhi Police "allow violence" to take place.

"Lapse is happening, earlier this happened on January 5, 2020. Due to this, the campus is becoming unsafe, and one of the reasons is that the JNU administration and Delhi Police allow violence to take place here. There are no guards in many places in JNU, due to which incidents are increasing. In today's fight, some boys were also called from outside," she claimed.

A JNU student Pallav said that the clash broke out over a birthday party on campus. "A clash broke out between two boys over a birthday party, after which the dispute escalated and the fight started between the two groups, in which two students were injured," Pallav said. Another student Swati Singh said that there are continuous security lapses on the campus but there no concrete steps are taken by the administration.

"Since yesterday, many messages are coming on our WhatsApp that there has been a fight on the campus, but it was not known what happened. Today it was found that some people with sticks had entered the Narmada Hostel. There is continuous security lapse on the campus, there is continuous assault. The administration is not taking any concrete steps," she said.

Some videos of the ruckus in the JNU campus have also surfaced in which some boys are seen running around with sticks in their hands, however, Delhi Police said that they are verifying the videos. The police said that no complaint has been lodged yet. Necessary action will be taken as and when the complaint is received, added the police.

In one of the videos, masked students were seen with sticks. One of the students was wearing a JNU sweatshirt. Police said they will verify the authenticity of the videos circulating on social media. Both university sources and the police had said no political groups were involved in the fight. In recent years, the university has witnessed several instances of violence involving Left-affiliated student outfits and the RSS-backed Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

In April this year, two groups of students clashed at the Kaveri Hostel allegedly over the serving of non-vegetarian food in the mess on Ram Navami. On January 5, 2020, a mob of masked men stormed the campus and targeted students in three hostels. At least 28 people, including JNU Students' Union president Aishe Ghosh, were injured as chaos reigned on the campus for nearly two hours. (with Agency inputs)

(This story has not been edited by ETV Bharat and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)