'Police beat students': JNUSU president alleges brutality during protest, police claim they 'manhandled staff'

As many as 28 students, including Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Nitish Kumar, vice-president Manisha, and general secretary Munteha Fatima, were detained and brought to Kapashera Police Station following an altercation with the police earlier on Saturday, October 18, evening over the registration of an FIR against the ABVP. A protest by left-leaning student groups at JNU, demanding the registration of an FIR against ABVP over alleged violence, turned tense as students accused the Delhi Police of a “brutal assault”, while the police said protesters broke barricades, abused the police and also abused them during the protest. Deputy Commissioner of Police (South West) Amit Goel said that around 6pm around 6pm, around 70-80 students gathered at the JNU West Gate and “broke police barricades, manhandled personnel and obstructed traffic” on Nelson Mandela Marg. Amit Goel also said that six police personnel were injured in the attack and the students were detained to prevent any untoward incident. “A total of 28 students, including JNUSU office bearers, have been detained to prevent any untoward incident,” said the Deputy Commissioner of Police (South West). Meanwhile, JUNSU president Nitish Kumar alleged that the police beat up the students. Also read | Clash breaks out at JNU over Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam’s ‘portrayal’ as Ravan on Dussehra JNUSU president Nitish Kumar says, “When the general body meeting on the JNUSU elections started, councilor Rajat was beaten up by ABVP gods. We resisted to ensure that things went peacefully. But that didn’t break the meeting, and when we walked out of 6 went ABVP goons held us hostage for 2 hours and hurled casteist objections at us…We called Delhi Police. SHO Balbir Singh reached there but did not intervene. We are beaten. I was also beaten, my kurta was torn. We resisted and somehow got out.” “We registered a police complaint, but no FIR was registered. So, we marched to Vasant Kunj PS and demanded an FIR, but the police put up barricades and stopped us. Police beat students. My clothes were torn, my mobile phone was stolen and my slippers were broken. We demand that an FIR be registered. Our detention here is illegal,” he told ANI. Meanwhile, the All India Students’ Association (AISA) said in a statement that the JNUSU president and several students were “brutally beaten up”. “JNUSU president and other students were manhandled by Delhi police while demanding FIR against ABVP’s violence on school GBMs,” AISA said. The Students Federation of India (SFI) also alleged that the police “pulled female students by their hair and manhandled them, including by male staff”. It said SPS councilor Abhishek was “brutally beaten” and taken to hospital. The Deputy Commissioner of Police (South West) denied all allegations. (With agency input)