ABVP claims Left activists behind JNU violence

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on January 6 alleged that Left activists were involved in the attack on teachers and students at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. Manish Jangid, secretary of the ABVP's JNU unit, alleged that "the attacks were carried out by Left activists in an organised way".

He also claimed that the attackers, who were wearing masks, were led by JNU Students' Union (JNUSU) president Aishe Ghosh.

"We got to know that a mob was coming towards Kaveri Hostel and I was hiding with my friends in Periyar Hostel.

"Masked persons carrying lathis barged inside the hostel, targeted the rooms of ABVP activists. They vandalised the rooms and when I ran to another wing of the hostel, they beat me with lathis till I fell unconscious. This happened around 3.30-4 pm (on January 5)," Jangid said.

The ABVP leader claimed that he had suffered a fracture and his phone was damaged by the Left activists.

"We left the campus for AIIMS after the attack. How could we orchestrate the attack that happened later? Even our phones were broken, so there was no way we could have contacted anyone," Jangid said.

On January 5, a mob of masked young people stormed the JNU campus in south Delhi and systematically targeted students in three hostels, unleashing mayhem with sticks, stones and iron rods, hitting inmates and breaking windows, furniture and personal belongings. They also attacked a women's hostel.

Thirty-four people, JNUSU president Ghosh, were injured in the violence.