Lawyers thrash JNU students, teachers, journalists

People protest against Jawaharlal Nehru University students for allegedly raising anti-India slogans in New Delhi on Monday. (Photo: Pritam Bandyopsdhyay)

Groups of lawyers attacked journalists and JNU students and teachers and unidentified people in and outside the Patiala House court on Monday in the wake of a raging row over the arrest of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar.

Protests escalated in the JNU campus after clash at Patiala House court. Hundreds of students staged a sit-in protest in front of university’s administrative block. Later in the day, JNU teachers also joined the protest.

The JNU students went on indefinite strike from Monday till Mr Kumar is released by the police. The JNU vice-chancellor, Prof. M. Jagadesh Kumar, urged the students to not resort to strikes. “We also stand for free expression of ideas, but I believe there is no need for strikes as the problem can be solved amicably. We are reaching out to the entire JNU community to see how the problem can be addressed, but academic functioning of the university is of prime importance and should not be hampered,” he said.

The violence in the court broke out when Mr Kumar was to be presented before the metropolitan magistrate for remand proceedings. Mr Kumar’s police custody has been extended by two days till February 17 by metropolitan magistrate Lovleen Kaur at the Vasant Vihar police station.

Delhi BJP MLA O.P. Sharma, who was present in the complex, also joined the lawyers in beating up a person, identified as CPI activist Ameeque Jamai, who was taken to Tughlaq Road police station. Mr Sharma was seen beating up Mr Jamai.

The lawyers, claiming to be “patriots,” first targeted the JNU students and teachers inside the court. They beat them, claiming that their university was a “den” of anti-India elements and terrorists.

A television reporter was attacked and a woman journalist was spared even as the crowd threatened them that their phones and bones will be broken. In all, at least nine journalists were attacked and two of them were taken to R.M.L. Hospital. Outside the court, another group of lawyers thrashed journalists, JNU students and court officials. When asked about the violence, Mr Sharma claimed he was roughed up in the melee and feigned ignorance about his participation in the violence. When told there was footage about his beating up a person, Mr Sharma said, “I do not known which video you are taking about.“

In the same breath, he said, “It is not wrong if some body shouting such slogans is beaten up or even done to death.”

The violence happened in presence of police personnel who were deployed in large numbers at the court complex, but they did not intervene to stop attacks on the JNU teachers and students and journalists.

Ten of the JNU teachers, who had gone to attend the court proceedings, were beaten up, Rohit Azad, one of the teachers, said. “We did not hit back because we do not believe in violence. We do not follow nationalism of Nathuram Godse but of Gandhi,” said Mr Azad.

JNU’s School of International Studies faculty member Nivedita Menon said the attack on teachers was a clear indication how the Modi government was running the country. “The lawyers, who have taken oath of law, are indulging in such fascist activities. Intimidate and deceive is the RSS policy. The moment Modi came to power, the RSS has always been demanding that the JNU must be shut down. Why are they threatened by us ”

JNU professor Ayesha Kidwai said Patiala House court violence clearly shows that no rights available to people who are opposing the BJP and the government at the Centre.

“Before the proceedings were to start, some people wearing lawyers’ gowns first started hurling abuses at us. And then suddenly some of them, without any provocation, started beating us badly. They pushed us and beat us up, including women students,” AISF president Waliullah Qadri said.

There was heavy police deployment in the court complex, but the students alleged that they did not take any action against this group. The policemen later drove all the students, teachers and mediapersons out of the court complex.

Later, Union home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi promised action. “Law will take its course. Action will be taken in accordance with law against anybody who takes the law in their hands. I will speak to Delhi police commissioner,” he said. Police chief B.S. Bassi described the incidents in the court complex as a scuffle. He said mediapersons were roughed up and added that the police will look into complaints relating to the incident and take action. “Certain excesses have been committed by both sides,” Mr Bassi said.

Lawyer N.D. Pancholi, who represented Afzal Guru, lodged a complaint on the issue. Speaking with this newspaper, he said that his junior, also a lawyer, was brutally attacked and his cellphone was snatched. “They were lawyers who attacked my junior and snatched his cellphone. He was attacked as he was trying to save journalists,” Mr Pancholi said.

Controversial Hindutva leader Sadhvi Prachi also visited JNU to express solidarity with ABVP members. The varsity administration denied that she had been denied entry into the campus. In the evening, some students lead by JNUSU joint secretary, Saurabh Kumar Sharma, a member of the ABVP, held a candlelight march against the JNUTA decision to join the strike.

The varsity condemned the attack on its teachers in Patiala House court. “We condemn the attack on the teachers. Let the law take its course. Any sort of violent activity against anybody is condemnable,” the JNU Registrar, Prof. Bhupinder Zutshi, said.

“The JNU Teachers’ Association in an emergent meeting held on Monday decided to join the students’ strike from tomorrow. The administration needs to answer how it plans to mend the damage done due to mishandling of the issue by it,” JNUTA president Ajay Patnaik said.