JNU students stopped by police from marching towards Rashtrapati Bhavan; detained

JNU students protesting the violence on the university campus tried to march towards the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday after a failed meeting with HRD ministry officials, but were stopped and later detained by police with some of them receiving injuries as they were roughed when the cops put them in buses and autorickshaws.

The scene unfolded with JNU students' union president Aishe Ghosh giving a call for a march towards the President Of India's residence when the meeting between a delegation of students and teachers unions, and the Human Resource Development Ministry did not turn out to be satisfactory.

The delegation which met the HRD ministry officials demanded removal of Vice Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar from his post.

Soon after the meeting, as JNUSU president gave the call for the march students started scattering. Some were headed towards the landmark Le Meridien hotel on the Janpath Road and others started running towards the historic India Gate.

Police in riot gear resorted to mild force to control the mob which tried to block the traffic on Janpath Road. Using loud speakers, the police also appealed to the crowd to maintain peace.

On being pushed back by police, the protesters marching towards Le Meridien too started running towards India Gate amid the moving traffic. The police followed them and after some pushing and jostling, managed to contain them on a footpath near the National Archives of India bus stand.

After sometime another group began sprinting towards the India Gate but were again pushed back, this time detained and put in buses and autorickshaws. An autorickshaw driver earned policemen's ire when he refused to adhere to their direction to halt. Police even slapped a student and hit him with a stick as he resisted them.

The detained students were taken to Mandir Marg police station.

Meanwhile, several students including JNSU vice-president Saket Moon, gathered outside Rajiv Chowk Metro Station's gate number 7 and raised slogans against the Delhi Police.

While the police announced that they have arranged for busses for the students to return to their university campus, the protesters reused the offer and said that they would take public transport instead.

Security was also bolstered on the road leading towards the Rashtrapati Bhavan, with barricades erected and water canons stationed there.