The row over the violence in JNU has taken a new turn after the Delhi Police identified nine people as the attackers during a press conference on Friday. The nine include the JNUSU President Aishe Ghosh.
Delhi Police PRO, MS Randhawa, said, "The latest investigation regarding the criminal cases filed in connection with the JNU violence is being done by the Crime Branch. But it has been observed that a lot of misinformation related to these cases is being circulated."
The Delhi Police released images of the suspects caught on a CCTV camera during the attack at Sabarmati hostel on January 5.
Of the nine, seven belong to left-leaning student organisations while two are affiliated to right-wing students' bodies, the police said.
Addressing a press conference, DCP (Crime Branch) Joy Tirkey, who is probing the case, said a majority of the students wanted to register for the winter semester from January 1 to 5, but the left-leaning students' bodies were not allowing them to do so.
About the attack on January 5, the DCP said that specific rooms in the university's Periyar hostel were targeted.
"No suspects have been detained till now, but we will begin interrogations soon," he added.
Responding to being named one of the suspects, JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh said she had 'full faith in the law and order of the country and hoped that the investigation will be fair.'
I will get justice. But why is Delhi Police biased? My complaint has not been filed as an FIR. I have not carried out any assault," Aishe Ghosh said while addressing media in Delhi.
Interestingly the development comes a day after Union Minister Smriti Irani accused Deepika Padukone of siding with those who hit girls on their private parts with lathis at TNIE's ThinkEdu conclave.
The other eight suspects identified by the Delhi Police are Chunchun Kumar, Pankaj Mishra, Waskar Vijay, Sucheta Talukraj, Priya Ranjan, Dolan Sawant, Yogendra Bhardwaj and Vikas Patel.
Claiming that even Left students were part of the attack, Delhi police observed that a lot of misinformation related to these cases was being circulated.
On January 5, more than 30 students of the university, including JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh, were injured and taken to the AIIMS Trauma Centre after a masked mob entered the varsity and attacked them and professors with lathis and rods.
(With PTI and ANI inputs)