SIT set up to probe all cases of violence in JNU in January: Police to Court

The Delhi police on Monday told a court here that an Special Investigating Team (SIT) has been constituted to investigate all the incidents of violence which happened in the JNU campus in January this year in which students and teachers were injured.

The incidents of violence had taken place on January 3, 4 and 5.

Metropolitan Magistrate Vipul Sandwar was hearing a plea filed by Professor Sucharita Sen, who suffered head injuries during the attack by masked people inside the campus on January 5, seeking registration of FIR in a case.

The court had earlier directed the crime branch of Delhi police to file a status report in a case.

In its report, the crime branch said that the incident of January 5 was related to those that took place on January 3 and 4.

"During investigation various students and teachers, security personals and other persons who got injured or witnessed the incident were examined. CCTVs footage of the Cameras installed in JNU Campus have been collected,” the police said in its status report filed before the court.

It further told the court that some of the teachers and students have also filed separate complaints at police station Vasant Kunj (North) regarding the incident of violence and they have been transferred to Crime Branch by the local police.

“The applicant Ms Sucharita Sen was also injured in the incident at Sabarmati T- Point on January 5, 2020 and she filed a separate compliant at PS Vasant Kunj (North) on February 6, 2020. This complaint has been transferred to the Crime Branch. During investigation, statement of Ms Sucharita Sen has been recorded on February 20, 2020 in which she has reiterated her version mentioned in her complaint.

“Her statement under section 161 of CrPC has also been recorded. MLC (Medico-legal case) of Ms Sucharita Sen has been collected from AIIMS which shows the nature of injuries as 'Simple Blunt',” the report said.

It further added, “The investigation of the case is in progress and all efforts are being made to identify all the attackers/ assailants and conclude investigation in a time bund manner.”

The court will pronounce it's further order on Tuesday.

The court had sought the status report after taking on record another status report filed by the officials of Vasant Kunj North in pursuant to an earlier order.

The report filed by police had said that an FIR was filed in the matter which has now been transferred to the crime branch along with the present complaint filed by Sen.

In her submission, Sen claimed that no action has been taken so far and that the case that was transferred to crime branch was a separate FIR.

In her plea, Sen had told the court that the lodging of an FIR was urgent since investigation could take place only after the case is registered.

The court had in February directed the Station House Officer (SHO) concerned to file an action taken report (ATR).

The plea, filed by Sen, had sought lodging of FIR into wanton acts of violence suffered by Sen at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus.

It claimed that the complainant (Sen) had to approach the court on account of inaction on the part of the police authorities despite "clear and cogent" facts and underlying material placed by her before the investigating agency.

On January 5, masked men armed with sticks and rods attacked students and teachers and damaged property on the campus, prompting the administration to call in police which conducted a flag march.

At least 28 people, including JNU Students'' Union president Aishe Ghosh, were injured as chaos reigned on the campus for nearly two hours.

Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Senior Union ministers and JNU alumni S Jaishankar and Nirmala Sitharaman had condemned the violence.

According to police in its status report, prior to that on January 3, 2020, at “the students of the anti-registration group (JNUSU) broke inside the main server room where facility for computerization and information services is located. They disrupted the online services, heckled the staff and prevented the students from registering themselves for the new semester.”

A complaint regarding this disruption was filed by the JNU administration with PS Vasant Kunj (North) and a case was registered.

“Again on January 4, 2020, some students affiliated to JNUSU against registration entered the server facility room from the rear side and damaged the fiber optic cables and wiring, thereby totally disrupting the online registration services,” the report said.

In this regard the JNU administration filed a complaint at P.S. Vasant Kunj North and a case, was registered for the same, it said.