India’s Jawaharlal Nehru University attacked : ‘We thought … we all will lose our lives …

2020 JNU Attack refers to the incident on 5 January, when a masked mob consisting of hundreds of people armed with rods and sticks attacked the campus of Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi and injured more than 39 students and teachers. Many students received serious injuries. Eyewitnesses, including students injured in the attack, as well as opposition parties and left-wing organizations, accused the members of the BJP’s student wing, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) of orchestrating the attacks. ABVP, a Hindu nationalist student organization denied involvement and accused the left wing organisations though they couldn’t show any of their injured students. Professors who tried to intervene and save the students were also attacked. Eyewitnesses stated that policemen within the campus did not intervene to stop the mob. After attacking the residents for 3 hours, the mob escaped without anyone getting arrested or detained.

Police have said that some of the masked attackers have been identified but no arrests have been made yet and complaints have been filed as a single FIR on unknown person. All 36 students who were injured and admitted to AIIMS were discharged within 24 hours. An FIR was also been filed by administrator of JNU at the same time against the JNU Students’ Union chief and others of JNU who were injured in this attack for vandalism. The Jawaharlal Nehru University has been associated with Left-wing activism since many years. The students of JNU had been participating in the Citizenship Amendment Act protests. The attack has been called an attempt to suppress student activism during the Citizenship Amendment Act protests. According to a professor, around 50 teachers and 200 students were holding a meeting on the campus to discuss their opposition to the increase in hostel fees when the attack started. The attack has been associated by some as a way to prevent students from raising their voice against the CAA and fee hike.

On 5 January, at around 7 pm, a masked mob consisting of dozens of people and at least one woman, armed with iron rods, sledgehammers, sticks and bricks attacked the campus of Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi and injured the students and teachers and vandalized its hostels. The assault lasted for 3 hours, where the mob moved from one hostel to the other attacking the people. They chanted slogans calling the victims to be “naxalites” and “anti-national”. Attackers shouted “Jai Shri Ram” (Hail Lord Ram!). The slogan has been used as a battle cry by far right Hindu groups. The witnesses stated that the attackers broke windows and also attacked the medics. In the incident video attackers were seen charging down the hostel hallway raising sticks, bats and broken bottles to attack while the students shouted “get out”. The leaders of student bodies with liberal views and those who spoke against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist policies were attacked. Some students locked themselves up inside rooms to escape the attackers.

Sabarmati Hostel with 400 students residing in it, was reported to have faced the worst attack. And two students jumped from their rooms on the first floor in an attempt to escape the attackers. They fractured their legs in the jump. The hostel was damaged badly in the attack. Every floor in the hostel had shattered glass, broken doors, windows and furniture. The assault left more than 39 students and teachers as injured. When an ambulance arrived 9 pm, carrying two doctors and two volunteers to attend to the victims, the mob surrounded the ambulance with rods and sticks, and and prevented the doctors from helping. They broke the windows of the ambulance and injured a volunteer. “There was no need to provide medical assistance to any one on the campus”, said the attackers. The mob also punctured the tires of ambulances attending to the victims. Street lights were shut off by the authorities during the incident. The mob roamed around the campus freely without any police intervention. students of the campus alleged the police of intentional inaction. The videos of the incident showed, students were beaten by the attackers, while the police officers were seen doing nothing. While the students escaped from the gate, the Police police officers asked them to shout “Hail Mother India.” The students accused the police of intentional inaction and being complicit with the attackers.