JNU violence: Uneasy calm in JNU and widespread protests, Shah speaks to LG

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday discussed the situation in Jawaharlal Nehru University with Delhi lieutenant governor and the HRD ministry called an urgent meeting, as anger over the violence the night before found resonance in universities across the country and an uneasy calm settled on the campus.

A day after masked people brandishing hockey sticks and iron rods unleashed mayhem, trawling through corridors and breaking into hostels, including those occupied by women, Delhi Police registered a case against unidentified people for rioting and damage to property.

The case was transferred to its Crime Branch.

The 34 people, including students and faculty members, who were admitted to the trauma centre of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, were discharged on Monday morning, officials at the institute said.

JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh was among the four people who received head injuries in the violence, for which the Left-controlled JNUSU and the RSS-backed ABVP blamed each other.

I was specifically targeted on Sunday during a peace march on campus. Around 20-25 masked persons disrupted the march and attacked me with iron rods, Ghosh, her head swathed in bandages, told PTI.

The attackers were both from the campus and outside, she told journalists.

As students began cleaning the debris from the rioting the night before, security forces swarmed the campus and outside it too -- many women were seen leaving the campus, saying that their parents were worried.

The Home minister spoke to Delhi LG Anil Baijal and requested him to call representatives from JNU for discussions, officials said.

The Home Ministry has also sought a report from Delhi Police on the situation in the sprawling campus in south Delhi.

The HRD ministry, on its part, called an urgent meeting with the JNU administration, including Vice Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar.

"A detailed report has been sent to the HRD Ministry about the sequence of events. The top administration officials are at the ministry to provide all details leading to present situation," Kumar told PTI.

Kumar also appealed for peace, saying the university stands by all students to facilitate their pursuit of academic activities.

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union, however, accused him of "perpetrating violence" in the university and behaving like a "mobster" and said he must either resign or be removed.

It also alleged that outsiders were brought in with 'lathis' and rods to "perpetrate violence".

For nearly 70 days, students of JNU have been on a strike against a hostel fee hike.

"The violence that happened is the result of the desperation and frustration of the VC and his cronies, JNUSU said.

Their frustration found echo in university campuses across the country and even abroad, at Oxford University in Britain and at Columbia University in the US.

In India, there were protests at Pondicherry University, Bengaluru University, University of Hyderabad, Aligarh Muslim University and Delhi University with students staging peaceful marches and sit-ins to register their protest against the violence in JNU.

"Today it is them, tomorrow it can be us," Raiza, a Pondihcerry university student, said.

In Mumbai, the protest by students at the Gateway of India that started at midnight continued.

Maharashtra minister Jitendra Awhad of NCP joined the students at the protest and sat with them to discuss their demands.

"When people begin to fear intellect, there is anarchy," the minister told reporters as students shouted slogans condemning the violence.

Sunday night's attack exactly three weeks after violence in Jamia Millia Islamia led to furious reactions from other political parties too.

"Violence in JNU reminds us of Nazi rule 90 years ago," said Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala, accusing the JNU administration of being complicit in the violent attack on Sunday night.

It also alleged that the Delhi Police remained a mute spectator when students were being attacked.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan echoed him to say that "Nazi-style attacks" on students and teachers inside the campus were an attempt to create unrest and violence in the country.

The Left leader said the attack on students is an "appalling display of intolerance running amok".

Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav and BSP chief Mayawati also condemned the violence.

While Yadav said masked men attacking teachers and students in JNU shows how "low" the government will stoop to rule through "fear" and accused the BJP of using violence and hate to polarise society, Mayawati termed the mob attack shameful and demanded a judicial probe.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar said JNU students were subjected to a "cowardly and planned attack", adding that use of violence to suppress democratic values won't succeed.

Maharashra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said students were feeling unsafe in the country.

Referring to violence inside JNU, Union minister Smriti Irani said campuses should not be made a "political battlefield".

"I had said it earlier and reiterating it now that educational institutions should not be made 'rajiniti ka akhada' (political battlefield) as it affects the life and progress of our students," Irani told reporters here when asked about the violence in the campus.

"I hope students will not be used as 'rajnitik mohre' (political tools)", she said.