A video of police thrashing a group of students with sticks and fists and dragging women by their hair outside RSS headquarters here during a protest over Dalit student Rohith Vemula's suicide had triggered widespread outrage with Congress and AAP seeking action against the erring cops.
The students from Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS) and Left-backed All India Students Association (AISA) staged a demonstration outside the police headquarters demanding action against the cops who allegedly assaulted the protesting students.
A KYS protester said, "The police commissioner needs to tell the country why cops behaved in this manner and on whose instructions they did so. They were so prompt in taking action against the students, why is the top cop not acting against his own policemen now?"
The protest by the students caused traffic jam at the ITO stretch as they did not allow the vehicles to move ahead.
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"Be it the 'Occupy UGC movement' or protests against sexual harassment by any professor, we always had to face similar crackdown from police. So many times we tried to go to the HRD Ministry but we were not even allowed to submit memorandums," said Sunny Kumar, a protester.
The students from Jawaharlal Nehru University had decided to go on an indefinite hunger strike last week when they were detained from outside HRD Ministry for staging a protest there against the alleged delay in justice to Vemula, a Dalit PhD scholar who was found hanging at Hyderabad Central University's hostel on January 17.
"We demand independent probe into the issue. The video is very clear where police and RSS goons assaulted students then why Bassi is taking so much time to act," asked 25-year-old Dinesh.
Another protester Nikita alleged, "Delhi Police has shown that its original colour is not khakhi but saffron. They are the private army of the Central government which thrashes protesting students demanding justice".
"The entire country is aware of our demands that Smriti Irani, Dattartreya and VC must resign immediately instead of crackdown on students," said Ritesh.