JNU union leaders among 6 students 'bound' after Delhi police station march turns violent | Look

The Delhi Police on Monday formally booked and “bonded” six students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), including three student union officials, a day after an altercation broke out between students and officers. A protest march to the Vasant Kunj (North) police station led to a confrontation between the students and the police, with several injuries reported. Those placed under the legal bond include Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) President Nitish Kumar, Vice President Manisha, General Secretary Munteha Fatima, and students Manikant Patel, Briti Kar and Saurya Majumdar. A senior police officer said that ‘bound’ means that the individuals are legally bound to appear before the investigating officer on summons and must notify the police if they intend to leave the city. The police said that a First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against them at the Vasant Kunj (North) Police Station. Twenty-eight other students were detained under Section 65 of the Delhi Police Act, but were later released after a medical examination. According to police, six police personnel were injured when students allegedly smashed through barricades and blocked traffic on Nelson Mandela Marg. The protest march, organized by left-leaning groups including AISA and SFI, was held to demand that an FIR be filed against members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). The students accused the RSS-backed organization of assaulting Left-affiliated students during a recent general body meeting held on campus. Student organizations alleged that the police used a ‘brutal assault’ to disperse the crowd. JNU teachers’ body condemns police brutality against students Meanwhile, the JNU teachers’ association condemned the police action, terming it ‘excessive and politically motivated’. It also expressed concern over the detention of female students after 7 pm and strongly urged the administration to uphold the university’s tradition of democratic student politics. However, the police denied the claims and claimed that their action was necessary to maintain public order and prevent the situation from escalating. In a joint statement, JNUTA President Surajit Mazumdar and Secretary Meenakshi Sundriyal said: “Videos and other reports indicate the use of brutal violence, leaving several students seriously injured. What is of grave concern is not only that women students were among those assaulted, but also that they were detained after 7pm.” The police appeared to be “motivated by objectives other than the maintenance of law and order” and pointed out that a peaceful march questioning police behavior was not tolerated, the statement said. “Such a failure of the Delhi Police was also seen in a Delhi University college just a few days ago when a teacher was assaulted in their presence. In JNU itself, the Delhi Police was unable to prevent the dance of violence unleashed by masked hoodlums on January 5, 2020, nor was it able to trace or identify a single one of them since a six year in the past was not. failure to find our student, Najeeb, who has been missing for years,” the statement read.