FIR registered against JNUSU President Aishe Ghosh, 19 others in JNU violence case

Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) President Aishe Ghosh and 19 others have been booked by Delhi police for allegedly vandalising the server room and attacking the security guards in the JNU campus on Saturday.

Ghosh, who appeared on national TV on Sunday evening with blood-soaked face and with a bandage on Monday, is now been alleged to have played a key role in the violence in JNU, which took place on Sunday.

She has been booked under Sections 341, 323, 506 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and various sections of Prevention of Damage to Public property Act, 1984. Apart from her, Saket Moon, Satish Yadav, Sarika Chaudhury, among others, are named in the FIR.

The cops earlier registered four FIRs in JNU violence that shook the national capital on Sunday. The Delhi Police said that one FIR was registered on January 4 on the complaint of JNU administration regarding obstruction in the registration process. The students had to register for next semester admission which was allegedly blocked by some students. The second and third FIRs were registered regarding scuffle and obstruction in the registration process on January 4.

The fourth FIR was registered on January 6 for arson against unidentified and identified people for their alleged role in JNU violence that took place on Sunday.

Police took suo motu cognisance of the violent incident and registered the fourth FIR at Vasant Kunj police station in Southern part of the national capital.

Inspector Anand Yadav in the fourth FIR stated: "The students had been protesting in the campus for last few days over fee hike and other issues inside the university premises and as per the the Delhi High Court direction of not allowing any student to carry out protest within the radius of 100 meters of administrative Blocks, police had been deployed permanently over there."

What does the FIR say?

The FIR states that at 3.34 pm they came to know that some students have indulged in clashes and are damaging public properties outside Periyar hostel. "We rushed to the spot and found that 40 to 50 unidentified people, few of them covering faces with handkerchiefs and masks, and carrying sticks and rod were beating up other students inside and outside the hostel," Yadav said in the FIR.

He also said that they were damaging the properties and beating students. Yadav said he and his team rushed to the spot and asked to maintain peace. "As soon we reached, these unidentified people fled from the spot," Yadav said.

To control the situation inside the premises of the campus, the Jawaharlal Nehru University gave written approval to the police to enter into the hostel premises within the varsity campus.

After getting the request letter from the JNU authorities, more police teams were called in to manage the violent situation within the premises. "We requested the students to maintain peace and not to indulge in any violence," he said.

In the meantime, police control room started receiving distress calls from inside the campus from the students about being beaten up.

"At 7 pm, we came to know that around 40 to 50 unidentified people entered into the Sabarmati Hostel and started beating up students and damaging properties," the FIR stated.

Police teams immediately reached the spot and found that around 40 to 40 students-cum-hooligans were damaging the properties of the hostel.

"We made announcement to maintain peace and not to indulge in violence and immediately leave the premises. The hooligans continued damaging the properties but as we pressed in, they fled from the spot," Yadav said in the FIR.

The FIR stated that thereafter injured students were identified and rushed them to AIIMS trauma centre, AIIMS hospital and Safdarjung Hospital.

"The uncontrolled mob damaged the properties and thereafter fled from the spot," the FIR stated.

JNU students hit back

The students of JNU have retaliated and said the university administration used "masked" security guards to destroy the server room and attack students. They were shamefully wearing masks. JNUSU president was openly slapped," the JNUSU had alleged.

The JNU administration has claimed the server incident is related to an ongoing standoff between students and the university over a hike in hostel fees. They say the protesting students damaged the server to stop students from registering for the winter semester.

What happened in JNU?

Unprecedented violence was seen in the Jawaharlal Nehru University on Sunday as a masked mob assaulted students and teachers inside the campus with wooden and metal rods, injuring many.

"I have been brutally beaten up by masked people. I don't know who they were."

The injured included two office-bearers of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU), including President Aishe Ghosh - who was reportedly hit over the eye with an iron rod, received severe injuries.

"I have been brutally beaten up by masked people. I don't know who they were," Ghosh said as she broke into tears while blood flowed profusely from her head.

JNUSU General Secretary Satish Chandra was also injured in the attack.

JNUSU Vice President Saket Moon accused the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad of leading the attack, which was bolstered by outsiders.

Hostel rooms, and lobbies, and vehicles standing on the road were vandalised during the assault.

There were terrifying moments for students as the masked men and even women with faces covered, barged into hostels, ransacked rooms and beat up the frightened students.

A girl student recounted those moments in tears: "I was in the room and I heard loud noises and I saw many girls coming. I asked everyone to lock their rooms. We were in terror. While I was trying to take a video clip, they hit me with a stone."

(With agency inputs.)