'Won't tolerate this, ' warns Delhi's top cop; 'Few policemen’s unprofessional actions noticed… Strict action will be taken': Joint CP, Delhi
Update:
A chair was flung at a teacher and classes were suspended at Delhi University's Ramjas College on Thursday amid tension a day after clashes between student activists over an invite to JNU's Umar Khalid to address a seminar at the college. A rioting case has been filed by the police against students involved in the clashes, NDTV has reported.
Yesterday, about 20 students and at least one teacher were injured in clashes with activists of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), a group linked to the BJP. The Delhi Police have been asked to investigate whether its personnel were guilty of using excess force.
"This is the national capital, we won't tolerate this," said police chief Amulya Patnaik on the college violence.
Delhi Police has also set up an inquiry into the conduct of its personnel.
Accusing the Delhi police for being in cahoots with the BJP-affiliated ABVP (Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad), in the attacks on students and teachers, the CPI (M) and its student wing SFI have strongly condemned the incident and demanded immediate penal action against the complicit police and the ABVP activists.
Meanwhile, the online portal Quint has reported Joint CP, Delhi, Dependra Pathak as commenting: “In north campus, few policemen’s unprofessional actions noticed. An enquiry has been launched. Strict actions will be taken. The situation being monitored. In future protest, we request students to remain peaceful”.
Also read: What happened in DU today is not 'ho-hum', 'another clash between Right and Left'.
Journalists covering Wednesday's clashes outside Ramjas College were slapped, punched and kicked by about a dozen policemen, all without nameplates, the Times of India reported.
TOI correspondent Sompreet Bhattacharya and photographer Anindya Chattopadhyay, Times Now reporter Priyank and cameraman Mazhar Khan and several other journalists were beaten up by these policemen who also snatched their phones and cameras and deleted photos and videos. A TOI intern shooting a video was also thrashed.
Quint reported that three of its reporters were assaulted both by the police and ABVP activists.
The CPI(M)/SFI statement on Facebook on Wednesday said SFI members participating in the protest were brutally beaten.
The statement adds: “Delhi State Committee of SFI condemns the hooliganism unleashed by the ABVP lumpens on a peaceful protest march organised in Delhi University. The protesters comprising of both students and teachers were raising their voice against the violence unleashed by ABVP activists in a conference which happened in Ramjas College yesterday and were marching towards Maurice Nagar police station. Stones and glass bottles were thrown at students and teachers, media persons were kicked and punched in this violent rampage of ABVP goons. Predictably, the police stood as mere spectators. However, this could not deter the spirit of the march which reached their destination; Maurice Nagar police station”.
“We want to remind ABVP and their masters in the government that we will never bow down to the RSS-police nexus. We are confident that our strength rooted in political conviction and courage will ensure your political defeat,” the statement added.