’Cops beat us like dogs’

More than 20 students and cops injured during lathicharge, stone pelting

'Cops beat us like dogs'

More than 20 students and cops injured during lathicharge, stone pelting

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) showed its true blue revolutionary colours to the outside world as well as the police on Sunday night.

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Students fought pitched battles with the police over four inebriated boys, as repeated attempts by high police officials to calm them failed. A brief altercation between the main JNU campus gate guards and four men, reportedly former students of the university, snowballed into a 'war' with the police resorting to lathicharge and firing tear gas shells to control an angry mob of students.

The four 'accused', who were apparently taken to an undisclosed location after being 'arrested' by the police, threatened the guards with a gun after they were found consuming liquor in a Hyundai Accent car bearing registration number DL 3C AL8366 near the Pashchimabad dam.

The four yet-to-be-identified boys also allegedly eve teased girls. But, before the police could take them away after arresting them, the students closed the main gate and demanded that the four boys be handed over to them. The police immediately calledu00a0 back up but more forces were not allowed to enter the campus. The temperature shot up after students' demand for an apology from the four boys was refused by the police.

The students were also demanding that the faces of 'merry making quartet' be smeared in black paint. Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) HGS Dhaliwal, however, cited a Supreme Court order, refusing to allow any access to the accused.

He tried hard to calm the students down but as the crowd swelled the tension grew. The police then forcefully opened the doors to take the four accused to safety. As soon as the enforcements rushed in, the students started pelting stones on the cops.

The police replied with cane charge, resulting in injuries to more than 20 students. Later, tear gas shells were also fired to control the raging mob.

A student who was bleeding from the head told MiD DAY that he was not even part of the protest but the cops beat him badly. "I was taking pictures of the whole commotion and was not even the part of the mob. But, some cops hit me with lathis," he said.

Another, who was dragged on the road by three cops, could be seen crying for help.

Some girl students also suffered minor injuries.

A MA (History) student, who refused to divulge his name, told MiD DAY that the police used force on them instead of the "real culprits".

The brute police force did not even spare the media. A news channel reporter was seen calling for help from her support staff after she was hit by a policeman.

More than 20 students have been detained while a police van was damaged and a constable suffered injuries during the ruckus.

Was it a gun?
Even as the students claimed that the four accused threatened the university guard with a gun, the FIR lodged in the Vasant Kunj police station referred to it as a "toy gun lighter".

The FIR was filed by Devender Malik, security inspector of Jawaharlal Nehru University.

JNU student's union vice-president Shephalika, who was present when the FIR was lodged, disagreed with the police theory.

"I personally examined the gun. It was not looking like a toy. I don't know why they have mentioned it as a toy gun in the FIR. If the police tries to shield the four accused, we will initiate proper steps. The police is to blame for the ugly turn of events. We will make sure they are held accountable."