JNU violence updates: ABVP claims two of its activists named as suspects by Delhi Police not involved in 5 Jan attack

Congress’ Ajay Maken calls probe into JNU violence shoddy, demands sacking of VC and Delhi police chief

Accusing the Delhi Police of conducting a “shoddy” investigation into the JNU violence case, the Congress on Friday alleged that it was clearly influenced by the government, the home minister and the ruling party, and demanded the removal of the city police chief and the university’s vice-chancellor.

“It is a shoddy investigation, to say the least. The victims have been made the accused. The investigation is clearly influenced by the government, the home minister and the ruling party,” Congress’ senior spokesperson Ajay Maken told reporters.

The party claimed that one Vikas Patel has been identified by the police as a rioter, but his real name is Shiv Mandal.

Raising questions on the probe, Maken said, “The Delhi Police has not done a good work as far as investigation is concerned and in a way it seems that the force was also an accomplice in the entire incident because everything happened in front of it. The Delhi police has not been able to identify even a single rioter correctly, it has wrongly identified them.”

— PTI

Delhi Police makes no mention of Hindu Raksha Dal which claimed responsibility for JNU attack

The Delhi Police on Friday named nine suspects in various cases related to incidents of violence in the JNU campus between 3 and 5 January. However, it didn’t name the fringe right-wing Hindu group Hindu Raksha Dal, which had claimed responsibility for the 5 January attacks.

The group’s head Bhupendra Tomar aka Pinki Chaudhury had claimed the responsibility for the attack in a video.

Over 30 students, including JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh, were injured when a masked mob attacked students and teachers at the Sabarmati hostel inside JNU on 5 January. 

Already, the Delhi Police’s Friday presser on the JNU violence, first in the case, has been questioned after reports emerged that the investigators wrongly identified one of the accused in the presser.

HRD secretary Amit Khare urges students to call off agitation

According to PTI, HRD secretary Amit Khare has urged students to call of agitations against fee hike in the varsity, saying that the JNU has agreed to the basic demands of the students.

JNU professors move Delhi HC to preserve data, CCTV footage and other evidence

Three JNU professors Friday approached the Delhi High Court seeking directions to preserve data, CCTV footage and other evidence relating to the January 5 violence on the varsity campus.

The petition also sought directions for preservation and retrieval of all material/ evidences available with WhatsApp, Google and Apple pertaining to relevant data of WhatsApp groups ‘Unity Against Left’ and ‘Friends of RSS’ including messages, pictures, videos and phone numbers of the members, in connection with the violence at JNU.

The petition has been listed for hearing before Justice Brijesh Sethi on 13 January 13.

The petition, filed by Ameet Parameswaran, Atul Sood and Shukla Vinayak Sawant, seeks necessary directions to the Delhi Police Commissioner and Delhi government.

— PTI

 ABVP protests against 5 January violence

RSS-affiliate ABVP on Friday took out a march inside the JNU campus against the January 5 incident. The protesters carried banners which read ‘Red Terror down down’ and ‘Reclaim our study’.

They started their march from Sabarmati T-point and moved towards the varsity’s main gate. As they walked, police in plain clothes also accompanied them.

(PTI)

Delhi Police identified wrong person as suspect in pictures, claims Alt News

The Delhi Police, who named nine suspects for the 5 January violence in a press conference on Friday, also released pictures of the suspects to the media. However, fact-checking platform Alt News said that one of the suspects, whom the police showed a picture of and identified as ‘Vikas Patel’ in the press conference, was Shiv Pojan Mandal.

Hello @DelhiPolice, The guy you've shown in your press conference as Vikas Patel is actually Shiv Pojan Mandal, The guy in 2nd pic with a Lathi is Vikas patel @Vikas4JNU. Both have deleted their social media accounts. You've not mentioned about their association with ABVP. pic.twitter.com/4Ej7cti7GC

— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) January 10, 2020

Journalist accuses Delhi Police of cover up in probe into 5 Jan violence

As various groups reacted to the press conference of the Delhi Police in which they named nine people as suspects for the 5 January violence and the India Today report of ABVP members claimed to have admitted to being part of the mob that attacked students and faculty, CNN-News18’s Marya Shakil said that the police had “rushed through” the press conference in anticipation of the India Today report.

So @DelhiPolice rushed through a press conference to “reveal” their selective investigation only because of confession tapes being put out by @IndiaToday. First dereliction of duty on Sunday the 5th Jan when goons went on a rampage inside JNU for 5 hours, then a massive cover up.

— Marya Shakil (@maryashakil) January 10, 2020

JNU students form human chain in protest against 5 Jan violence

JNU students on Friday formed a human chain at the varsity to protest against the 5 January violence on the campus. Carrying banners of ‘Fees must fall’ and ‘In defence of public funded higher education’, they formed the chain at the Sabarmati T-point.

Delhi: Students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) hold protest in the campus against January 5 #JNUViolence. pic.twitter.com/QRsK9BbhIA

— ANI (@ANI) January 10, 2020

Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University students protest at JNU campus against January 5 #JNUViolence pic.twitter.com/BXiKjsM8mV

— ANI (@ANI) January 10, 2020

Delhi Police ‘underplaying’ JNU violence: JNUTA

The JNU teachers’ association on Friday accused the Delhi Police of “underplaying” the violence in JNU and termed its version as “disturbing”. The police addressed a press conference regarding their investigation and named nine suspects for the 5 January violence.

“Such underplaying of the incidents, which shocked the nation and subjected  several to extreme trauma, is deeply disturbing,” the JNUTA said.

ABVP admitted to ’engineering’ JNU violence, reports India Today 

Even as the Delhi Police said that nine suspects had been identified as being involved in the 5 January attack on JNU students, an India Today report said that an ABVP member, Akshat Awasthi has admitted to being part of the mob that attacked students and faculty in the evening on 5 January.

“A first-year student of the French degree program at the JNU, Akshat Awasthi identified himself in footage of Sunday’s attack — and as an activist of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP),” the report said.

However, ABVP demanded proof of their involvement.

Malafide campaign to defame ABVP, says Prakash Javadekar

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar lauded the Delhi Police for providing a “clear” picture regarding the “malafide campaign launched to defame ABVP”, after the police addressed a press conference on Friday regarding their investigation into the 5 January violence in the campus.

The JNU students union along with some faculty members accused Right-wing affliated ABVP of being being the attack on the Sabarmati hostel.

Prakash Javadekar slams CPI, CPM, AAP for using students ‘for vested interests’

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Friday said the Delhi Police’s ongoing probe into the 5 January violence in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has made it clear that students affiliated to Left-wing bodies were involved in the incident. Attacking the Opposition, he said CPI, CPM and AAP have been rejected in the Lok Sabha polls and “they are now using students for their vested interests”.

He also appealed to the agitating students of the university to end the stir and allow academic session to commence. “Police has brought reality in light. It is clear that left wing students’ outfits were involved in the attack,” Javadekar said.