Police promise 'fair probe' into college violence

Police said on Thursday that the incidents of violence at Ramjas College here will be investigated by the Crime Branch for "a fair probe".

Special Commissioner of Police S.B.K. Singh made the announcement while addressing hundreds of students protesting outside the Delhi Police headquarters here.

"I will not keep the investigation in the police station (Maurice Nagar). It will be probed by the Crime Branch for a fair probe," Singh said.

His reference was to the Maurice Nagar police station which has jurisdiction over Delhi University.

Singh told the protesters, many from the Left-leaning All India Students Association (AISA), that a desk would be set up to receive complaints and the video footage of Wednesday's incident.

He urged the student community to cooperate with the police in the investigation.

Largescale violence erupted at the Ramjas College in Delhi University campus when ABVP activists first foiled a seminar where a key speaker was a JNU student arrested last year for sedition and then attacked students and others taking out a protest. Many journalists were also injured.

AISA supporters claimed that police stood mutely when the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) went on the aggression and, in some cases, ended up attacking those very students targeted by the ABVP.

Singh said only one First Information Report (FIR) was filed after the incident as per law.

"As both sides received injuries, we registered the FIR. But it was not filed against any individual. All evidence will be evaluated. Every aspect will be investigated before taking any action."

The officer said police had conducted medical examination of 25 injured persons, including students from both the ABVP and AISA, as well as eight policemen.

Singh, the senior most officer in charge of the area where the violence occurred, said he was not aware who ordered a lathi-charge on students and others at the campus.

The officer regretted the attack on the media and promised to suspend the guilty police personnel.

"I have asked some journalists to give me video footage of the lathi-charge. Our motive is to punish the guilty," he said. "The policemen found guilty will be suspended."

Some Delhi University and Jawaharlal Nehru University teachers also joined the protest outside the police headquarters, condemning what they said was police inaction vis-a-vis the ABVP.

The two-day event at Ramjas College on Tuesday and Wednesday was cancelled after the ABVP forced the organisers to withdraw the invite to Ummar Khalid, dubbing him "anti-national".

--IANS

rak/mr