JNU Violence: How the Attack Was Planned and Executed by Masked Goons

New Delhi: As countrywide outrage pours out in the form of protests against the violence unleashed on students and faculty of the premier Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Sunday, messages in WhatsApp groups have emerged which suggest that the blatant targetting was pre-planned and coordinated. These messages indicate that mobilisation may have taken place through the cross-platform messaging app, where attackers were asked to enter into the varsity through different gates and regular updates of their vandalism were shared.

NewsClick came across the purported screenshots of two such WhatsApp groups — ‘Friends of RSS’ and ‘Unity against left’. Sharing a chat link at 5:33 pm, one Yogendra Shaurya Bhardwaj, a research scholar at JNU’s Sanskrit School and ex-councillor of the JNU Students Union (JNUSU) as described in his Twitter bio, wrote, “Pls join this group for unity against left terror. Ab pakadrin logon ko mar lagni chahiye. Bas ek hi dawa hai (catch these people; they should be beaten up; only one remedy is left).”

Responding to the message, a member of the group instructed him at 5:33 pm to facilitate entry of people from DU (Delhi University) from a particular gate of the JNU. “DU ke logon ki entry aap khajan singh swimming side se karwaiye. Hum log yahan 25-30 log hain (you let DU people in from the Khajan Singh Swimming pool side. We are 25-30 people here),” the person wrote, asking Bhardwaj to manage their entry into the JNU campus, which has several entry gates from different sides. Khajan Singh Swimming Academy is located near the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus at Baba Gang Nath Marg.

Another member of the group — Sandeep Singh, who is allegedly associated with the JNU unit of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), a students’ wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) — suggests one more route to enter the campus. “Mall gate bhi (Mall gate is also there),” he wrote on 5:41 pm perhaps referring to Paschimabad Gate of JNU, which is opposite to DLF Promenade Mall.

Bhardwaj once again steps in and tells the group of 25-30 people who had come from the DU that they can enter the campus from ICSSR (Indian Council of Social Science Research). “ICSSR se bhi entry hai (entry is allowed from the ICSSR side),” he wrote at 5:42 pm.

In response to another post — “war still going on” — in another group, one Vivek Singh wrote, “Tod do salon ko (break them).”

This reporter tried to contact few of them, but their cell phones were switched off. Bhardwaj has now deactivated his Twitter handle. In the other group ‘Unity Against Left’, few members were taking updates from the alleged attackers. “Kaisa raha aaj ka match [how was today’s match (the murderous assault)]?” asked one, eliciting response, “Saalon ko hostel mai ghuske tode (we thrashed them even entering hostels).

NewsClick tried to contact eight members from both groups to determine the authenticity of the WhatsApp group conversations. Three numbers were switched off. Two didn’t respond despite repeated calls and text messages. The rest three answered the calls but claimed innocence, adding that their numbers were misused by someone else and they were not parts of the conversation. “I am a JNU student and I am associated with the ABVP. But I don’t know how my number figured in the group chat. My number has been misused. Who did it, I don’t know,” said one, refusing to reveal his name. He soon hung up the call as more details were sought and did not attend any more calls.

Another said his friend joined the group using his number and wrote few posts. “We were sitting together when a chat link was forwarded to me on WhatsApp from a person known to me. My friend took my phone and joined the group for fun. He wrote few posts. But later, I exited once I came to know that JNU campus is being attacked by members of the group. I have nothing to do with any ideology and party,” he said. He, too, did not disclose his name but said he does not live in Delhi.

The third person who picked up the call said, “Wrong number.”

THE INCIDENT

Days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah told a public rally in poll-bound Delhi that “it’s high time to teach tukde-tukde gang a lesson”, targetting the Congress and ruling Aam Aadmi Party, masked men armed with sticks, rods and sledgehammers wrecked havoc in the varsity campus on January 5 evening. He accused the political outfits of “misleading” people against the controversial Citizenship (Amendment Act (CAA), The term tukde tukde gang was coined by right-wing parties to attack JNU students.

The masked mob, allegedly in connivance of the Delhi Police and the JNU administration, thrashed students and teachers and damaged properties. At least 26 persons, comprising students and teachers suffered injuries. JNUSU President Aishe Ghosh suffered critical injuries along with one more student. They are under treatment at AIIMS Trauma Centre.

Eyewitnesses and students who were injured said that 80-100 armed goons — comprising JNU ABVP leaders and outsiders — began chaos at around 6:30 pm in the campus where a ‘peace march’ called by JNU Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) was coming to an end. The ‘peace march’ was organised to call for calm a day after a scuffle between activists belonging to the ABVP and Left students organisations. Protests have been ongoing in the campus for the past three months against the hostel fee hike.

They added that around 7:30 pm, the police arrived outside the main gate of the campus. While the bloody attacks were taking place, the nearly 700 strong policemen stationed outside the campus acted like mute spectators. Ambulances were stopped from going in and one was broken. People present outside the gate at that time said that around 20 men were seen brandishing sticks and rods even outside the campus where the cops were present. But none of them were arrested. Reportedly, the police awaited permission to enter the campus as the violence continued inside the campus. Finally, the JNU administration called the police inside the campus. Later, a flag march was conducted.

There are allegations that the goons were allowed entry inside the campus by the police who stopped the media and political activists to go inside. Students have alleged that while the attack was going, JNU security officials were not visible anywhere. “No one, including the Rector, Proctor and the Vice Chancellor bore the pain to come to the campus when the attacks were taking place,” a student said.

Later, Vice Chancellor M Jagadeesh Kumar expressed his pain and anguish on Twitter. He attached a press note issued by the Registrar that talked about protests over fee hike and expressed regret that “a group of students with their violent means of protests are preventing thousands of non-agitating students from pursuing their academic activities”.

The masked attackers — according to students — first assembled at university’s Periyar Hostel and from there, they resorted to violence. When the attacks began, said students, many girl students ran towards the Sabarmati Hostel for cover. The attackers reached there as well as beat the women black and blue. Some of them, said eyewitnesses, protected them by locking them inside hostel rooms.

At least seven hostels — Kaveri, Koyna, Lohit, Periyar, Mahi Mandavi, Tapti and Sabarmati — were targeted. Doors were broken, windows smashed and students’ belongings were trashed as the men went from one corridor to the next, ignoring pleas by women hostellers. One video showed a group of women asking the mob to back off, and the men rushing at them with weapons.

The attackers — alleged large number of students — were chanting violent slogans such as ‘Desh Ke Ghaddaron Ko, Goli Maaro Salon Ko’, ‘Naxalwad, Murdabad’ and ‘Na Maowad, Na Naxalwad, Sabse Upar Rashtrawad’.

‘HANG MY HEAD IN SHAME’

The violence in the campus attracted widespread condemnation even from the Delhi Police lawyer who condemned the incident in strong words and questioned the inaction of the cops stationed there.

“I, as Standing Counsel @DelhiPolice, hanng my head in shame after witnessing video cliups of goons merrily entering JNU campus, creating mayhem & grievously injuring innocent students, damaging public property and then exiting the campus in capital city. Where is our force @CPDelhi?” tweeted Advocate Rahul Mehra, who also represents AAP in the court.

Responding to the allegations by ABVP that Left activists had attacked them and 25 of their members have suffered injuries, he wrote on the microblogging website, “In case there is still any doubt & one needs to find out as to who exactly has been the aggressor & who the victim at #JNU then all that needs to be done is to take stock of who really sustained injuries? Those who belong to ABVP or the Left-backed student groups?”

Several others too condemned the goondaism inside the campus in harshest possible words.

JOURNALIST, POLITICAL ACTIVISTS ATTACKED

Several journalists, who were covering the incident from outside the campus were also attacked by the rioters. They include Rohan from Scroll, Tanushree Pandey from India Today, Ashutosh Mishra from Aaj Tak and a scribe from Caravan.

Politician-turned activist Yogendra Yadav, too, was assaulted by the goons in presence of the police outside JNU’s north gate.

“Tonight, I was assaulted thrice,” he said in a Facebook post on late Sunday night. The first attack, he said, took place at around 9:30 pm, the second at 10:50 pm and the third at 12:30 am. “While I was speaking to JNU teachers, a police inspector (no nameplate) dragged me and ABVP/RSS group (including Professor Mishra, Sanskrit Department) pushed me, pulled my muffler. I fell down, minor injury. Police continued to push me out after I got up,” he wrote.

INQUIRY CONSTITUTED AN EYEWASH?

After Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik, an inquiry has been set up to investigate into the incident. Joint Commissioner of Police Shalini Singh will probe into the matter and furnish a report to the Ministry of Home Affairs.

But the students said the incident calls for a judicial inquiry as the police, JNU administration and the ABVP are in “hand and gloves”. “Nothing less than a judicial commission headed by either a Supreme Court or High Court judge should be constituted if the government really wants the truth to come out. We don’t trust the Delhi Police as its complicity led to the violence. In fact, these are the ones which facilitated the attack by allowing the ABVP members in,” said a student.

An FIR has been registered against unidentified people for rioting and destruction of public properties. But attempt to murder and grievous hurt charges have not been invoked despite the fact that the assault on students was brutal and murderous.

Ever after 20 hours, no one has been arrested.