JNU VC Jagadesh Kumar Says Outsiders Involved In Violence After Delhi Police Names 9 Students

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) vice-chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar on Saturday blamed outsiders for the violence that took place inside the campus. A masked mob assaulted and injured many students and teachers on January 5 evening. Jagadesh Kumar's comments come a day after Delhi Police said nine students, including JNU students’ union president Aishe Ghosh, were behind the violence.

"This is a problem that many illegal students are staying in hostels. They could be outsiders. They may be participating in any possible violence because they have nothing to do with the university," Jagadesh Kumar was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

"The terror created by some of the activist students went to such an extent that many of our students had to leave the hostels. From the past several days, we have enhanced security in the campus to make sure that innocent students are not hurt," he said while interacting with students.

Earlier, after meeting HRD ministry officials, Jagadesh Kumar had said all decisions taken earlier at the Ministry about the hostel fee are being implemented "in totality" and regular classes at the varsity will start from January 13.

The Delhi Police on Friday claimed that nine students were identified as suspects in the violence in the varsity campus but did not name any group yet for the brutal attack by masked goons on students and teachers that left 36 injured.

It means question still remained on the identity of the masked people photographed at Sabarmati hostel at the Jawaharlal Nehru University(JNU) on Sunday and terrorising the campus for three hours with sticks, rods and sledgehammers. The police also claimed that the January 5 violence was a fallout of the online registration process and that tension was brewing in the university since January 1.

The officer said Ghosh and eight others were involved in an attack at the Periyar hostel on January 5. Those identified are Dolan Samanta, Priya Ranjan, Sucheta Talukdar, Aishe Ghosh, Bhaskar Vijay Mech, Chunchun Kumar (an alumni) and Pankaj Mishra.

The other two suspects named by police are Vikas Patel and Yogendra Bharadwaj. Police sources said the two are from the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).