NEW DELHI: The Special Investigating Team, set up by Delhi Police Crime Branch to investigate the incidents of violence at JNU, has so far recorded statements of eight suspects including the university’s students’ union president Aishe Ghosh.
While Crime Branch has spoken to multiple students, teachers, wardens and residents, these eight suspects were questioned after they were identified from the video footage and the WhatsApp groups that were allegedly formed by ABVP members and supporters against “left unity”.
These eight include three from the nine whose names along with pictures were shown by police at a presser last week. The police had named the nine suspects for their involvement in the violence that erupted on January 5 at Periyar Hostel. Ghosh was one of them and she was questioned by the SIT on Monday.
From WhatsApp groups - ‘Unity Against Left’ and ‘Friends of RSS’ - police have identified 34. Police said that out of 43 suspects, 34 people who were members of a WhatsApp group will be sent notices. On Tuesday, police questioned two students - Sucheta Taluqdar and Priya Ranjan - and asked them to identify those caught on the camera.
Meanwhile, JNU Registrar Pramod Kumar said that the academic and administrative units of the university “functioned normally as the campus witnessed a calm and peaceful atmosphere”.
‘Struggle now in decisive phase’
JNUSU in a statement said that the students’ struggle against the “illegal” IHA manual has entered its decisive phase. ”The brutal state sponsored violence has not dampened the spirit of resistance... We will ensure that the main culprit behind the attack on January 5, Jagadesh Kumar is removed as VC at the earliest.”