Students thrashed: Jung seeks explanation from police

Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung on Tuesday summoned Joint Commissioner of Police (Central Range) S K Gautam, who is heading the investigation into the alleged beating of a group of students by some police personnel, and sought an explanation from him.

On Saturday, students had gathered outside the RSS office at Jhandewalan in central Delhi demanding justice for Rohith Vemula, the 26-year-old University of Hyderabad’s research scholar whose suicide last month triggered protests across the country.

Gautam said he is inquiring the circumstances leading to the incident outside the RSS office. The video footage from there is being studied.

Agitated over Saturday’s incident, student from various universities on Tuesday staged a protest outside the police headquarters at ITO, forcing police to clamp prohibitory orders under section 144 in the area. Police warned students not to break the law.

The demonstration led to massive traffic jams at the busy ITO junction with commuters having to wait for over an hour to cross the red signal.

The students from Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union, Krantikari Yuva Sangathan and Left-backed All India Students Association staged a demonstration there.
The protest comes a day after a video of police thrashing a group of students, protesting against Vemula suicide went viral on social media.

JNUSU president Kanhaiyya Kumar said: “Police commissioner needs to tell the country why cops behaved in this manner and on whose instructions they did so. They were so prompt in taking action against the students, why is the top cop not acting against his own policemen now?”

The students alleged that they have been treated in similar manner by police whenever they have tried to protest and raise their voice against any issue.