Cops did not respond to messages, absolute terror ensued during violence, claims JNUSU

In a chronology of events released on Saturday, Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) has claimed that streets lights were switched off, police officers who were deployed in the campus to control the violence looked the other way and absolute terror ensued in the varsity.

In a statement about the events on January 4 and 5, JNUSU said that the security personnel in the university were "clearly complicit" as the perpetrators carried out the attack.

"JNUSU office-bearers Aishe Ghosh and Saket Moon drafted a message to the police, informing them of the armed mob gathered at the administrative building, the inaction of the JNU security and appealed them for action to ensure that law and order prevailed," it said.

JNUSU claimed that its office-bearers informed the police about the mob at 3:35 pm.

"One truck of policemen arrived at Periyar around 4 pm and shamefully remained bystanders and as we have already said, this was despite the JNUSU President having spoken to the SHO and sending a message at the same time," it said.

"The street lights were switched off at the Sabarmati T-point. While the lights were switched off, at 6.30 pm, a mob of 60-70 masked people with rods and sticks were seen moving aggressively towards T-point," it added.

JNUSU alleged that the mob pelted stones and bricks and attacked the students with weapons like rods, sledgehammers, cricket bats and large stones and bricks.

On the other hand, Delhi Police has registered several cases in connection with the violence and released photographs of nine suspects, including JNU Students Union (JNUSU) President Aishe Ghosh in the matter.

As many as 36 students of the university were injured on the night of January 5 and taken to AIIMS Trauma Centre after a masked mob entered the varsity and attacked them and professors with sticks and rods.