Anti-Modi protest in Delhi turns violent as students clash with police

Massive protests by student groups from DU and JNU greeted Narendra Modi as he made his way into the Shri Ram College of Commerce to deliver his address on his economic road-map for India. Separated by barely 200 metres, pro and anti-Modi supporters held loud demonstrations behind police barricades. Leading the protest against Modi were students from the Left-leaning student organisations AISA, AISF, SFI and DSU. Waving black flags and holding placards saying ‘Communal Modi, go back’, ‘strengthen the fight of Gujarat riot victims’, students tried to storm the venue where Modi was supposed to deliver his lecture. Clashes between students and the police grew violent briefly with the police resorting to charging the protesters with batons when the barricade was breached. Police also used water cannons the students twice. [caption id=“attachment_616652” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  PTI[/caption] “We condemn the use of force by the police. Some of the students were beaten up. Some have also taken ill after being sprayed by the water canon,” said Amit Yadav of the AISF. “I was beaten up by the police and I have been detained at the Maurice Nagar police station. I was also beaten by the pro-Modi supporters after the police left me in their midst. There are six students, including me, who have been detained by the police,” said Piyush Raj, joint secretary of the JNU Students Union and member of AISA. One student who was injured was escorted away by the police. There was heavy police deployment, additional forces of the CPR were brought in earlier.