India
No arrests yet in 2020 JNU violence, Centre tells Parliament
The Centre on Tuesday informed the Lok Sabha that no one has been arrested in connection with the violence that broke out at Jawaharlal Nehru University last year. The Home Ministry was responding to a written question from Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP Dayanidhi Maran. Notably, it has almost been over 1.5 years since masked goons stormed the university, leaving students and teachers injured.
Crime Branch's SIT investigating cases: Home Ministry
Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said the Delhi Police registered three cases in connection with the JNU violence. Rai said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Crime Branch was constituted to investigate the three cases. "The investigation conducted includes examination of witnesses; collection and analysis of footages; and examination of identified suspects," Rai said, adding that no arrests were made.
What happened in JNU last year?
On January 5, 2020, masked men and women, armed with rods and sticks, went on the rampage on the campus of Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University. The masked goons thrashed students and teachers, ransacked hostels, and vandalized property before the police intervened. Horrifying visuals from the violence had also gone viral on social media as JNU students were seen bleeding and screaming.
Police had summoned nine suspects last year
Both left-wing and right-wing students' organizations blamed each other for the JNU violence. JNU Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar had constituted a five-member committee to probe the incident. The Delhi Police had also issued summons to suspects. Last August, three JNU professors—who sustained injuries in the violence themselves—filed a plea in the Delhi High Court, claiming the violence was "premeditated" and "coordinated" through WhatsApp groups.
Tensions were running high over fee hike protests
Ahead of the violence, tensions had been high on the campus over protests against a hike in JNU's hostel fee. While left-wing groups protested against the fee hike and called for a boycott of the semester registration process, the right-wing groups were pushing to continue the process. The two groups had also been involved in skirmishes in the days leading up to the violence.
