JNU union leaders among 6 students ‘bound down’ after Delhi police station march turns violent | Watch

The Delhi Police formally booked and "bound down" six students from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), including three students' union office-bearers, on Monday, a day after a scuffle broke out between students and officers.

A protest march towards the Vasant Kunj (North) police station resulted in a confrontation between the students and the police, with several injuries reported.

Those placed under the legal bond include the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) president, Nitish Kumar, Vice-President Manisha, General Secretary Munteha Fatima, and students Manikant Patel, Briti Kar, and Saurya Majumdar.

A senior police officer said that being 'bound down' means the individuals are legally obliged to appear before the investigating officer upon summons and must notify the police if they plan to leave the city.

The police said that a First Information Report (FIR) had been registered against them at the Vasant Kunj (North) Police Station.

Twenty-eight other students were held under Section 65 of the Delhi Police Act but were subsequently released following a medical examination.

According to the police, six police personnel were injured when students purportedly smashed through barricades and blocked traffic on Nelson Mandela Marg.

The protest march, organised by Left-leaning groups including AISA and SFI, was held to demand that an FIR be filed against members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). The students have accused the RSS-backed organisation of assaulting Left-affiliated students during a recent general body meeting held on the campus.

Student organisations have alleged that the police resorted to a 'brutal assault' in order to disperse the crowd.

JNU teachers' body condemns police brutality against students

Meanwhile, the JNU Teachers' Association condemned the police action, labelling it 'disproportionate and politically motivated'.

It also raised concerns over the detention of female students after 7 pm and strongly urged the administration to uphold the university's tradition of democratic student politics.

The police, however, denied the claims, asserting that their actions were essential to maintain public order and prevent the situation from escalating.

In a joint statement, JNUTA President Surajit Mazumdar and Secretary Meenakshi Sundriyal said: "Videos and other reports indicate the use of brutal force, leaving several students severely injured. What is of extremely serious concern is not only that women students were among those assaulted, but also that they were detained after 7 PM."

The police appeared to be "motivated by objectives other than the maintenance of law and order" pointing out that a peaceful march questioning police conduct was not tolerated, the statement said.

"Such a failure of the Delhi Police was also witnessed just a couple of days ago in a Delhi University college when a teacher was assaulted in their presence. In JNU itself, the Delhi Police was neither able to prevent the dance of violence indulged in by masked hoodlums on 5 January 2020, nor has it managed to trace or identify a single one of them in the almost six years that have since passed. It had also proved to be an abysmal failure in finding our student, Najeeb, who has been missing for years," the statement read.