Security around JNU was beefed up after the Delhi high court granted interim bail for six months to students’ union president Kanhaiya Kumar. The pol-ice fears that once Mr Kumar gets bail, there is possibility he might visit Jantar Mantar and other places along with a large number of his supporters and opposition by some political parties and grou-ps may lead to “clashes” between different groups.

Quoting an internal Delhi police report, a highly-placed source said the Left-backed student organisations may have an confrontation with the BJP, ABVP and other right-wing groups. “Keeping in view the sensitivity and gravity of the matter, a sharp vigil and adequate arrangements by local police with sufficient women staff, PCR and traffic personnel are suggested to avoid any untoward incident.”

Mr Kumar was assaulted by a group of lawyers when he was being produced in the Patiala House courts complex on Febru-ary 15 and 17. He was atta-cked despite the presence of 890 security personnel and 27 senior officers, including a deputy commissioner of police, in and around the court complex on the second occasion.

The personnel, posted for security measures in the court complex, were not only from the Delhi police, but also from the CRPF and the ITBP. Mr Kumar was assaulted despite a posse of 40 police personnel, including 15 men in plainclothes, escorting him to ensure his safety in a cavalcade of six vehicles from the Vasant Kunj police station to the city court.

Eyebrows were raised over the way the city police had failed to prevent an assault for the second time on Mr Kumar in the court complex. A copy of the report, accessed by this newspaper, revealed there were as many as 275 personnel from the CRPF, including three assistant commandants and three inspectors; 70 personnel from the ITBP, including one assistant commandant and one inspector; 150 Delhi police personnel, including 15 inspectors and six assistant commissioners of police besides others in the court complex. The report, prepared by New Delhi range joint commissioner of police Mukesh Kumar Meena, said during repeated assault attempts by the groups of lawyers on the JNU students’ union leader some 10 policemen were also injured.

The report said that a group of lawyers, who had already assembled inside the court complex, tried to assault Mr Kumar from different sides. “The ring around team and policemen deployed on the route surrounded him from all sides and gave body protection and thwarted repeated attempts to manhandle the accused. Lot of commotion followed, but he was escorted safely to the court room by the policemen despite some hiccups.”