New Delhi, February 26 Police and JNU students were injured after they clashed during a march by the students' union here on Thursday, with police claiming that they were attacked by the protesters. The students, many of whom have been detained, alleged that the police used excessive force against them.
Police said that protesters threw sticks and shoes and resorted to physical assault, injuring several police officers, some of whom were even "bitten" during the altercation.
The students clashed with the police at the college gate when they tried to take the rally out of the campus. JNU Students' Union (JNUSU) president Aditi Mishra, former president Nitish Kumar, and several others were detained, they said.
The students had called for a "Long March" from the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus to the Ministry of Education office, police said in a statement.
The march was part of the ongoing protests over JNU Vice Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit's recent remarks on a podcast regarding the implementation of University Grants Commission (UGC) norms, the suspension of JNUSU office bearers, and the proposed Rohith Act.
The protesters also alleged that excessive force was used against them, resulting in several students being injured. Some of the protesters were taken to "unconfirmed locations" by the police, claimed the university's teachers' body.
The JNUSU also alleged that a portrait of B R Ambedkar was damaged during the police action.
Purported videos of the clash surfaced online, including one showing an Ambedkar photo being snatched from the protesters.
According to police, the JNU administration had informed the protesting students that no permission had been granted for any protest outside the campus and advised them to restrict their demonstration within university premises, police said.
Despite this, around 400-500 students gathered on campus and began a protest march. Around 3:20 pm, the protesters moved out through the main gate and attempted to proceed towards the ministry.
"Barricades placed outside the campus were damaged as the situation escalated. The protesters threw banners and sticks, threw shoes, and resorted to physical assault. Some police personnel were bitten during the scuffle, resulting in injuries to several officers deployed at the spot," a senior police officer said.
Police personnel stopped the protesters at the North Gate of the JNU campus and gradually pushed them back inside the university premises.
"We have detained some of the protesters. Some protesters are levelling allegations that the police manhandled them, which are completely baseless. Every single officer deputed there was maintaining law and order," the officer told