JU, Presi students hit city streets against JNU violence

Students of the Jadavpur and the Presidency universities on Monday took out rallies in the city to protest the violence inside the JNU campus in New Delhi.

The AISA and SFI organised a protest march from the varsity campus to nearby 8B Bus Stand and shouted slogans against the BJP government at the Centre and RSS-affiliate Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

They carried posters and placards condemning the JNU violence and demanded immediate arrests of the people involved in the incident.

Violence broke out at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus on Sunday night as masked men armed with sticks and rods attacked students and teachers and damaged property on the campus, prompting the administration to call in the police which conducted a flag march.

At least 28 people, including JNU Students' Union president Aishe Ghosh, were injured as chaos reigned on the campus for nearly two hours.

"Yesterday (Sunday) was the darkest day of Indian democracy because of what happened inside the JNU campus. Beating up of students and teachers by goons and attacking girls' hostel by ABVP activists brought shame to our democracy.

"But, such attacks will not deter us from continuing our fight against fascist forces," a JU student said.

Referring to the Jadavpur University fracas on September 19, he said, "The way the ABVP workers had vandalised the campus in September and JNU campus yesterday (Sunday) reflects the fascist mindset of the BJP and the Sangh Parivar," he said.

Students of the Presidency University took out a rally on College Street expressing solidarity with the JNU students.

"We condemn such violence inside the JNU campus, which is a cradle of free and liberal thinking. The ABVP and BJP want to curb free thought and want to impose their fascist ideology on us. But we will continue our fight till the last breath," a Presidency varsity student said.

The Congress students' wing, Chhatra Parishad burnt effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on College Street.