Claim only “mild batons” were used to disperse them

A number of students of Jawaharlal Nehru University and those from north-east India were injured in police action as they were protesting at Vijay Chowk here to seek justice for the killing of Arunachal student Nido Tania.

According to police, the students first staged a protest at Jantar Mantar around 2 p.m. and then took the protest to Vijay Chowk. Around 4 p.m., they persisted with marching towards the Rashtrapati Bhavan and broke barricades, forcing the policemen on the scene to use force.

The policemen chased the protesters up to the Central Secretariat Metro Station from where around 50-60 demonstrators were detained and taken to the Parliament Street Police Station in two buses.

Some of the protesters were injured in the melee, though the police denied any lathicharge took place.

“As the students were just a few metres away from Parliament House and North and South Blocks[which house key ministries], we used mild batons to disperse them,” said a police officer.

Six fleeing students sustained minor injuries. They were taken to a hospital and discharged after first-aid.

“We had to physically evict them. There was no lathicharge. If somebody is injured, we will provide them first-aid. We have detained 50 - 60 people, but they have violated Section 144 of the Cr.PC [which remains imposed in the area], we will see what legal action can be taken in this regard,” Deputy Commissioner of Police New Delhi S.B.S. Tyagi said.

The protesters later alleged that they were protesting peacefully and not trying to break the barricades.

The JNU Students’ Union released a press note in the evening, saying: “The objective was to submit a memorandum. Instead of listening to the demands, the police unleashed a brutal attack on the students. Students were also beaten up inside police vans,” it further noted.