Hundreds of students and teachers took out a protest march at the Delhi University today against the violence which took place inside the Ramjas College premises last week.

After students and teachers of Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Jamia Millia Islamia hit the streets protesting against Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), which is blamed for the February 22 clashes, the Congress' student wing National Students Union of India (NSUI) took out a torch march, calling it a peaceful march for their university.

The ABVP will protest on March 2, and has called for on-campus exclusion of Left.

The protesters, mainly comprising students of left forums like AISA, shouted slogans "ABVP Go Back" and "Azaadi" as the march made its way through the roads of North Campus towards the Arts Faculty building.

However, Gurmehar Kaur, the Lady Shri Ram student who found herself at the centre of the controversy surrounding the premier educational institution, decided to distance herself from the patriot war that is playing out at Ramjas College. Her mother said Gurmehar has left Delhi.

Delhi: JNU & DU students hold protest march against ABVP in North Campus area #RamjasRow pic.twitter.com/J0Vex9653e ANI (@ANI_news) February 28, 2017

An FIR has been registered against unknown persons in connection with the case of a martyr's daughter who complained of receiving "rape threats" allegedly from ABVP members.

HERE ARE THE LATEST UPDATES:

ABVP to protest on March 2, calls for on-campus exclusion of Left.

Ramjas row: Noted historian Irfan Habib leads a protest march on the Aligarh Muslim University campus; criticises ABVP, RSS and BJP.

ABVP, AISA's 'goondagardi' won't be tolerated, says Congress.

DCW issues notice to Facebook to deactivate accounts issuing rape threats to Gurmeher, has sought details to identify the account owners who should be arrested.

Students torch (mashaal) march ends at Ramjas College.

On the complaint of Gurmehar Kaur, crime branch cyber-unit of Delhi Police registered the case, investigation into the case is on, says Joint Commissioner of Police Dependra Pathak.

NSUI holds mashaal (torch) march in North campus, say it is a peaceful march for their university.

After notebandi, Modi govt is now putting 'zubaanbandi'; would you be raped for saying ABVP gundas should stop hooliganism?, says Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala.

In the meeting, Standing Committee of Home Affairs Chairman P.Chidambaram asked Delhi Police Commissioner about the steps taken: Sources.

According to sources, some members of Parliament's Standing Committee of Home Affairs raised the issue of incidents that took place inside the Ramjas College.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal met me at Raj Niwas;Have assured him that strict immediate action will be taken against those violating law, says Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal.

NHRC issues notice to Delhi Police Commissioner over allegations of police excesses outside Ramjas College in DU campus on 22 February.

They cannot win this with their intellectual skill and want to replace it with violence: Sitaram Yechury on ABVP.

Our nationalism is 'We are Indian' not 'Who is a Hindu', said Sitaram Yechury at the protest march. "This is a collective fight to defend our constitutional rights. We will be raising the issue of DU (violence) in Parliament," said D Raja.

Left leaders D Raja and Sitaram Yechury join JNU and DU students' protest march against ABVP at Delhi University's North Campus.

Delhi: D Raja and Sitaram Yechury join JNU & DU students' protest march against ABVP in North Campus area pic.twitter.com/nxnZWnvr8Y February 28, 2017 Actor Swara Bhaskar comes out in support of Gurmehar Kaur. "Extremely saddened and worried by this sorry state of affairs that our society is embroiled in where people are so intolerant that they can easily resort to violence," Bhaskar said, adding, "Any violence on campus premises is completely unacceptable and totally unjustified."

She(Gurmehar Kaur) is a young girl, creating controversy over her isn't right. Its about leftists who celebrate when our jawans die-K.Rijiju pic.twitter.com/kNxzCW8DwL &; ANI (@ANI_news) February 28, 2017

Kanwaljeet Singh, Gurmehar Kaur's grandfather speaking exclusively to India Today said, he is pained by the threats issued to his granddaughter and is scared for her safety. Singh has also defended Gurmehar saying she never said anything wrong to elicit such strong response.

Lyricist Javed Akhtar has now come out in support of Gurmehar Kaur and responded to Kiren Rijiju's "who is polluting her mind" statement. Akhtar tweeted, "I don't know about her but Mr Minister I know who is polluting your mind".

Congress leader Pramod Tiwari today said his party will raise Ramjas College violence and threats to Gurmehar Kaur in the Budget session of Parliament. Tiwari also hit out at former cricketer Virendra Sehwag for "trolling" Gurmehar Kaur. "It is good to have political ambitions but this time Sehwag could not read the ball and was out hit wicket," the Congress leader said.

Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has demanded strict action against ABVP goondaism. "Will meet Hon'ble LG today at 2.30 pm to demand action against ABVP goondaism n rape threats to Gurmehar Kaur," he tweeted.

On Tuesday, Kaur posted a series of tweets, saying she will not be participating in the AISA march. "I'm withdrawing from the campaign. Congratulations everyone. I request to be left alone. I said what I had to say", Gurmehar said.

"I have been through a lot and this is all my 20 year self could take :). The campaign is about students and not about me. Please go to the March in huge numbers. Best of luck," Kaur, whose father Captain Mandeep Singh was martyred in a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir in 1999, said.

"To anyone questioning my courage and bravery... I've shown more than enough. One thing is for sure, next time we will think twice before resorting to violence or threats and that's all this was about," she added.

Meanwhile, protests over violence in Delhi University's Ramjas College refuse to die down. Day after BJP's youth wing ABVP took out a Tiranga march in Delhi University, several protest marches and counter-marches are expected in Delhi University (DU) and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campuses today. Students and teachers of DU and JNU, along with AISA members, will march from Khalsa College in North Campus to the Arts Faculty. Congress-backed NSUI is also organising a symbolic one-day hunger strike at the arts faculty, followed by a 'Mashaal' rally. Congress and AAP also expected to join protests. Gurmehar Kaur, daughter of Captain Mandeep Singh, had earlier posted a photo of herself on Facebook while holding a placard in which she said she was "not afraid of ABVP". Kaur had last week changed her Facebook profile picture into one holding a placard reading, "I am a student from Delhi University. I am not afraid of ABVP. I am not alone. Every student of India is with me. #StudentsAgainstABVP." The campaign had gone viral and received massive support from students across universities. She has alleged that she has received rape threats on social media from ABVP members following which she has filed a complaint with the Delhi Commission for Women. While the literature student's classmates and peers started sharing the post, prompting students from various universities across the country to change their profile pictures with similar placards, Sehwag shared an image of himself holding a placard saying, "I did not score two triple centuries. My bat did." While many Twitter users criticised Sehwag for comparing a cricket match to a war, many others, including actor Randeep Hooda, cheered Sehwag for his remark, saying, "She (Gurmehar) is being made a pawn."

LSR College faculty backs Gurmehar Kaur: FULL TEXT

The English Department of Lady Shri Ram College, where Gurmehar Kaur is a first year student of English Honours, has unanimously issued the following statement today.

We, the faculty members of the English Department, Lady Shri Ram College unequivocally and strongly support our student Gurmehar Kaur and her right to express her opinion on issues that embroil our university. It is immensely gratifying to us as her teachers that she has responded sensitively, creatively and bravely to events in her immediate context rather than seek the safe refuge of silence. We feel that it is the bounden duty of educational institutions to nurture sensitive, responsive and critical thinking students without the fear of violent retaliation. We are proud that Gurmehar has fulfilled her duty as a young citizen of this country. The threats of violence and brutality that she faces are absolutely reprehensible. Responses on social media by public figures such as Virendra Sehwag and Randeep Hooda are shameful trivialisation of the intimidation that Gurmehar faces at the hands of violent mobs whose viciousness the university has recently witnessed.We fervently appeal to the good sense of the public and to institutions of redressal to help restore our faith in law and justice in our country and let our young citizens think and articulate without fear of intimidation.

Rita Joshi, Madhu Grover, Rukshana Shroff, ArtiMinocha, Maya Joshi, ShernazCama, Mitali Mishra, Arunima Ray, DiptiNath, Maitreyee Mandal, JanetLalawmpuii, Ngangom Maheshkanta Singh, Karuna Rajeev, Wafa Hamid, Jonathan Varghese, TaniyaSachdeva, Rachita Mittal.

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