Cops manhandled, groped women students: JNUSU president

JNU Students' Union president Aishe Ghosh on Tuesday alleged that women students were not only "manhandled" by male police personnel in Monday's protest but were even "groped".

"We take out a peaceful march. Vice-Chancellor is continuously spreading a false narrative that JNU students do not want to study... Near Ber Sarai, CRPF started beating us. Female students were treated badly by police," Ghosh told reporters here.

"I was manhandled by male police officials. They dragged me and put me on the bus. Several female students were also manhandled by police in the same way. They (female protesters) were not only physically restrained but were literally groped," she added.

Ghosh also alleged that cops resorted to lathi-charge and manhandled students during the march to Parliament House on Monday.

However, Delhi Police had earlier denied allegations of lathi-charge levelled by some students during the protest.

"The Delhi Police staff acted with restraint all along and, despite continued defiance by some groups of students, methods of persuasion were resorted to, and there was no use of water cannons, tear gas shells or lathi-charge at any stage of the protest," a police statement said.

The JNUSU president said that the students protest will continue until their demands including the complete rollback of hostel fee hike are not fulfilled.

"We will call off our strike when a direction will be given from MHRD to Vice-Chancellor and immediately rollback. If Vice-Chancellor is not ready then the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and the Committee should immediately come out with a statement that till any further notice this draft is taken back," Ghosh said.

"It should be done either by JNU administration or MHRD. MHRD can't give excuses that Vice-Chancellor is not listening to them. Then Vice-Chancellor must resign. The protest will continue until a full rollback," she added.

The students are on protest after a closed-door Inter-Hall Administration (IHA) meeting in which the JNU administration gave its nod to the new hostel manual, including fee hike.

Ghosh also said that the students have also submitted a memorandum of their demands to the Joint Secretary, Department of Higher Education Basu.

Speaking on students demands, she said: "Today is the 23rd day of our protest. The meeting of IHA on October 28 was called illegally and JNUSU was not invited. We are demanding complete rollback of draft hostel manual. A fresh meeting should be called and JNUSU should be part of that meeting to discuss the new manual."

"Our previous manual had reservations for SC, ST and PWD students which the new draft doesn't have. We will not agree to a 10 per cent increment of hostel fees every year. The payment of contractual workers being added in JNU mess bill. We will not accept this," she added.

Ghosh also alleged that students are being targeted for taking part in the protest.

"Students are being targeted. The administration is sending them notices. MHRD must immediately take back notices," she said.