“Shame on Delhi Police,” wrote a Twitter user on Friday, reacting to a press briefing by Delhi Police in which the capital’s police force said that they would be investigating Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Aishe Ghosh in connecting with the violence that occurred on the campus on Sunday
Thirty-four persons, including Ghose and several faculty members, were injured during those three hours, between 4:30 to 7:30 PM, of unprecedented mayhem as masked goons wielding sticks ran amok on the campus and beat-up anyone who they encountered.
Despite Ghose sustaining brutal head injuries in the attack, Delhi Police made no qualms in naming the student leader, in a conference that was addressed by Delhi Police PRO MS Randhawa and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Joy Tirkey. He informed media persons that three cases had been registered against the accused so far, which were based on complaints filed by the university administration.
Releasing images of several suspects at the presser, Tirkey added that the police was also investigating videos of violence that were doing the rounds of social media in the immediate aftermath of the incident.
“Between 1 to 5, JNU decided to do registration online for winter semester. AISA, AISF, SFI, DSF members were against registration. They have been protesting since October 28,” the DCP said.
However, reactions on social media soon started to come in and Twitter users, to say the least, were clearly not amused by the line of investigation that Delhi Police indicated they would be pursuing.
“This is a condemnable act insulting students, wrote a user.
“Wait, what happened to those Hindu Rashtra Dal (HRD) chaps,” wrote another Twitter handle, referring to the viral video in which a fringe group claimed responsibility for the Sunday night’s violence.
“Is Delhi Police claiming that Aishe Ghosh who received head injuries bashed her own head with a steel rod?” veteran journalist Swati Chaturvedi wrote on Twitter.
Stating that Delhi Police doesn’t usually conduct press conferences before concluding its probes, Randhawa added, “This is not the only press conference; this is the first of the many pressers. We wanted to give you an update of the investigation so far.”
Some Twitter users pointed out that Delhi Police’s line of thought was noticeably similar to student outfit Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), which had also held the Left groups responsible for the attack on the campus.
The JNUSU, as well as the Jawaharlal Nehru Teachers’ Association (JNUTA), have squarely blamed the university’s Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar and the ABVP for the unprecedented campus attack.
Also read: Aishe Ghosh denies involvement in JNU violence, questions 'selective FIR' by Delhi Police
