DMK leader Kanimozhi visits JNU, says will fight for students

DMK MP Kanimozhi (PTI)

Days after masked men went on a rampage in JNU, senior DMK leader Kanimozhi visited the varsity on Wednesday and said her party will fight for the students. Kanimozhi visited the Sabarmati Hostel where students told her that it was a targeted attack as the entry of masked mob was facilitated by university's security guards.

The DMK leader inspected hostel rooms and expressed shock after seeing items strewn around and glasses as well as furniture broken.

A masked mob armed with sticks and rods on Sunday attacked students and teachers and damaged property on the campus, injuring at least 35 people, including JNU Students' Union president Aishe Ghosh.

While talking to Kanimozhi, a group of students alleged that the attackers knew everything, and they demanded the removal of university vice-chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar.

"The entire country is with you. Don't lose heart. There are many people who have condemned it... We will raise the issue. We will fight for you," she told students.

She also met JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh.

Earlier in the day, HRD Ministry officials met the vice-chancellor and took stock of efforts being made to restore normalcy on the campus.

Kumar, who has been under fire from students and faculty members for not doing enough when they were brutally attacked by a masked mob on campus, told senior officials of the ministry that efforts are being made to facilitate registration of "willing" students and for a conducive environment for their academic pursuits.

Meanwhile, the the JNU Teachers' Association alleged that the mob violence could not have been possible without the connivance of the varsity administration and deliberate inaction by police.

It also slammed Kumar for asking students to put the past behind and return to the varsity premises.