Patnaik condemns attack on JNU students

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday condemned the attack on students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi and expressed shock over the incident.

"Shocked to know about the violent#JNUattack. Violence has no space in democracy and such attacks on students must be condemned unequivocally.

"Appeal law enforcement agencies to take stiff action to apprehend the culprits and wish the injured students speedy recovery," Patnaik tweeted.

Senior BJP leader and former MP Baijayant Panda also condemned the incident.

Violence broke out at JNU 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 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.

Eyewitnesses alleged the attackers entered the premises when a meeting was being held by JNU Teachers' Association on the issue of violence on campus and assaulted students and professors.

They also barged into three hostels. Video footage aired by some TV channels showed a group of men, who were brandishing hockey sticks and rods, moving around a building.

The Left-controlled JNUSU and the RSS-backed ABVP blamed each other for the incident.

The violence at the university, whose students have been actively supporting the stir against the amended Citizenship Act, triggered a political furore with opposition parties accusing "those in power" of trying to scuttle the voice of students.

Protests also broke out at many places including near Delhi Police headquarters and at the Aligarh Muslim University against the incident.

The JNU administration on Sunday night said students opposing the semester registration process "moved aggressively" in a bid to stop those supporting the process, triggering a clash, while "masked miscreants" carrying sticks and rods went on a rampage in hostel rooms.

The Delhi Police has registered a case against unidentified people in connection with the violence in the JNU, officials said on Monday.