Ramjas clashes: JNU’s Umar Khalid targets PM Modi, protesters demand FIR against ABVP members

Raising slogans like “ABVP murdabaad” and “Delhi police khabardar,” around 500 students from different colleges of Delhi University (DU) and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) gathered outside police headquarters on Thursday, a day after clashes broke out near Ramjas College.

Amid heavy police deployment of 200 personnel for the 500 protesting students, the protestors demanded action against Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) members for “violence” and police for “inaction” at DU’s North Campus on Wednesday.

The Wednesday’s clash was triggered after an invite to JNU students Umar Khalid and Shehla Rashid to address a seminar in Ramjas College was withdrawn by the college authorities following opposition by the ABVP.

Read: Ramjas clashes: ABVP ends campus protest, says ‘won’t allow JNU repeat’

As the day unfolded with several rounds of negotiations between the students and police; the students kept chanting slogans like, “Aar ho ya par ho aaj FIR ho (We demand an FIR today)” and “ABVP ki gundagardi, nahi chalegi nahi chalegi (ABVP’s gundaism will not be tolerated)”.

However, the protesting students insisted that most students who were injured on Wednesday should be able to file separate FIRs. A police officer at the spot said that instead of separate FIRs, all complaints can be clubbed together in a single FIR.

Special CP law and order, SBK Singh, tried to pacify the students by saying that Delhi Police will invite a public notice soon. Thereafter, students can submit their complaints to Crime Branch police station (where the case has been transferred). The complaints and the evidences will be attached to one FIR.

Protesting students then demanded to give in writing separate FIRs will not be registered, which was again refused by the police.

Kawalpreet Kaur of Faculty of Arts, DU, said they will decide their future course of action on Monday as the college is closed since Friday for Shivratri. She said students will approach court if the police do not accept their demands.

JNU student Umar Khalid also joined the protest. Taking a dig at PM Narendra Modi’s remark at an election rally in Fatehpur, Khalid said that BJP wants to make Uttar Pradesh a shamshan. “Just like they want to make the JNU and North Campus a shamshan,” he said.

Read: DU turns fortress day after violence, over 500 cops guard campus

“If I would have spoken at Ramjas, only a few could have heard me. But because of the furore, now whole nation is hearing me. Police have not even been able to file a chargesheet against me and they say that I am an anti-national and I have links with terrorist organisations,” he said.

Reacting to the suspension of police officers, Kawalpreet Kaur said that the suspension is an eyewash, as only junior officers, whose job is just to follow orders, have been suspended.