Delhi Police Files FIR Against JNUSU President Aishe Ghosh, 19 Others For Vandalism On Campus

Delhi Police on Tuesday filed an FIR against Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) president Aishe Ghosh and 19 others for allegedly vandalizing server room of Jawaharlal Nehru University on January 4. The incident took place a day after masked people, armed with sticks and iron rods, went on a rampage inside the campus.

On Sunday, a mob of masked young people stormed the JNU campus in south Delhi and systematically targeted students in three hostels, unleashing mayhem with sticks, stones, and iron rods, hitting inmates and breaking windows, furniture and personal belongings. They also attacked a women's hostel.

Gosh claimed that she was specifically targeted. She received at least 15 stitches on the head, and her arm was in a cast after the attack. “I was specifically targeted on Sunday during a peace march on campus. Around 20-25 masked persons disrupted the march and attacked me with iron rods,” the union president, her head swathed in bandages, told news agency PTI after being released from hospital earlier Monday.

A day later, the Delhi Police registered an FIR against unidentified persons for rioting and damaging property, officials said. According to the FIR, students were protesting against a hostel fee hike for the last few days. According to instructions issued by the high court, no protest is allowed within a 100-metre radius of the administrative block of the university.

The ABVP has denied being responsible, and in turn, has blamed Ghosh's Left-supported union of stage managing the violence. It also claimed that many of its activists were injured, but has not presented any to the media. 

Meanwhile, there was an uneasy calm in the campus where there was a massive deployment of security personnel and authorities only allowed students with valid ID cards inside. However, these measures did not assuage the concerns of students over their safety.