JNU students marching to Rashtrapati Bhavan briefly detained

Two female students were detained at the Mandir Marg police station after 6pm on Thursday as JNU students tried to march towards the Rashtrapati Bhavan protesting the violence on the university campus earlier this week. They were stopped and later detained by the Delhi Police, members of the JNUSU said.

Most of the students were detained in a bus and some of them were beaten as well. In an attempt to stop the students, the police also resorted to baton charge to control the mob who tried to block traffic at Janpath. With the help of loud speakers, the police appealed to the crowd to maintain peace. 

Watch | JNU students demand VC’s ouster; protest march to Rashtrapati Bhavan halted

Just before the students tried to march towards Rashtrapati Bhavan, a delegation of JNU Students’ Union and JNU Teachers’ Association met Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry officials and demanded the removal of Vice Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar from his post.

The Delhi Police appealed to students to maintain peace and call off their protest.

The two students detained were later released. After their release, a large number of students have now gathered in the heart of Central Delhi at the popular Connaught Place.

JNU Vice Chancellor Jagadesh Kumar has been facing nationwide criticism, particularly after masked goons entered the university campus under his watch on Sunday evening and thrashed students. He has been targeted for allegedly doing little to stop the goons and not calling the police which waited at the gates of the university.

Kumar has also been widely criticised for not reaching out to his students who were beaten with sticks, rods and hammers.