Stones big enough to break people’s skulls were hurled at students and teachers of the Jawaharlal Nehru University on Sunday evening, a professor from the University, Atul Sood told news channel NDTV. A masked mob entered the JNU campus on Sunday night and launched an attack on students and faculty on campus. According to the professor, there had been incidents of violence in the last two days and the teachers at campus had called for a peace march. When students and teachers gathered for the peace march, a mob of masked people came towards them and launched the attack.
“Around 6.15 or 6.20 pm, we saw a mob of 70-100 people walking towards us. Normally, when there is a problem, teachers go and talk and solve the issue. But by the time we could do anything, big stones were thrown at us, stones that could break one's skull. This mob went on a rampage, and attacked everyone and thrashed cars,” Atul Sood told NDTV.
Two JNU professors have been admitted to AIIMS hospital in New Delhi with serious injuries, reports The Quint.
On Sunday evening, videos emerged of masked men wielding lathis inside the JNU campus. The attack reportedly started around 6.30 pm when the mob charged at a peace meeting. A JNU student who was present when the violence broke out told NDTV that students were attacked with lathis and stones at the hostel.
“A big number of people — almost 100 — wearing masks, with sticks and weapons in their hands walked in. It was a large number and they got in with impunity, this means the administration could also have been complacent. They started hitting and throwing stones, I was hit with a stone. We all ran. Then we heard that they went to the hostel to hostel and attacked people,” the student told NDTV.
A professor at JNU told Scroll that a mob armed with lathis and iron rods first attacked students in Sabarmati hostel on campus and then mobilised outside the warden’s office at Periyar Hostel. After that, they moved to Tapti and Koyna hostels, the professor said.