New Delhi: The name of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union president Aishe Ghosh, who was one among those brutally attacked on Sunday by a group of masked gang on the varsity campus, finds mention in two FIRs registered by the Delhi Police. Strangely, these cases have been filed over an incident that had happened on the JNU campus prior to the shocking attack there on Sunday evening.
Aishe's name has been mentioned in the First Information Reports filed in connection with vandalism at the server room at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi Police authorities said on Tuesday.
However, neither her name nor of any other student features in the accused column of the FIRs though the JNU administration had given the names of students union office bearers, including its president, in connection with the alleged incidents in the server room.
The FIRs were registered on the complaint of JNU administration on January 5, police officials confirmed.
One complaint had been lodged on January 3 for switching off the server while another complaint was registered on January 4 for vandalising the server room, police said.
JNUSU Vice-President Saket Moon alleged that the administration is selectively targeting some students and denied any involvement in the vandalism at the server room.
The JNU Students' Union, which has been protesting against the hostel fee hike in JNU, had stormed the server room, inviting clashes with ABVP activists, NDTV reported on Tuesday.
However, NDTV reported on Tuesday that a third FIR, without naming anyone specifically, has been filed over Sunday's attacks by a masked gang on the campus.
At least 34 people, including students and faculty members, were injured in the horrific incident. The cops, who were criticised for allegedly failing to control the violent mob, responded the following day by filing a single FIR that clubbed together "multiple complaints".
Government sources said on Tuesday that the police is taking the help of video footage as well as face recognition system to identify the culprits of Sunday's violence.
On Sunday, Ghosh was grievously hurt as masked goons, armed with sticks and rods, attacked the students and teachers of JNU. She received at least 15 stitches on the head, and her arm was in a cast after the attack.
“I was specifically targeted on Sunday during a peace march on campus. Around 20-25 masked persons disrupted the march and attacked me with iron rods,” she told PTI after being released from hospital earlier on Monday.
Hostel rooms and lobbies were vandalised during the assault while several vehicles on roads were damaged by the unidentified miscreants. Eyewitnesses alleged the attackers entered the premises when a meeting was being held by JNU Teachers' Association on the issue of violence on campus and assaulted students and professors. They also barged into three hostels. Video footage aired by some TV channels showed a gang of goons, who were brandishing hockey sticks and rods, moving around a building.
More than a dozen people, including teachers and students, injured in the attack were admitted to the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences.
We did it, claims Hindu fringe outfit
After a fringe group by the name of Hindu Raksha Dal claimed responsibility for Sunday's violence, Delhi Police has said that the claim is being investigated.
The self-proclaimed chief of the fringe outfit Bhupendra Tomar, alias Pinky Chaudhary, released a video to claim that its activists barged into the JNU campus to stop 'anti-national and anti-Hindu activities'.
"JNU is a hub of communists and we won't tolerate such hubs. They abuse our religion and our country. Their attitude towards our religion is anti-national. In future, too, we will take the same action in other universities if someone tries to indulge in anti-national activities," Tomar said in the video.
After the video went viral and Hindu Raksha Dal started trending on Twitter, the Delhi Police took note of the matter.