JNU protests: Police lathicharge students marching towards Rashtrapati Bhawan over ‘failed’ HRD meeting  

Delhi Police stopped a huge protest march by students of Jawaharlal Nehru University bound for Rashtrapati Bhavan midway today evening. As per media reports, slogan-shouting students were lathi charged, dragged away and packed into buses by the police as they tried to breach the barricades.

The march was started in the afternoon from Mandi House by students, teachers and civil society groups including senior political leaders like Sitaram Yechury, D Raja, Prakash Karat, Brinda Karat and Sharad Yadav. The protestors planned to go to the offices of the HRD ministry and submit a memorandum regarding Sunday's mob attack at the university campus and their demand for the resignation of the university's vice-chancellor.

But after the meeting with HRD officials, the students, led by JNUSU leader Aishe Ghosh, decided to move to the Rashtrapati Bhavan and meet the President.

“We’re in no position to compromise with HRD ministry. It’s still thinking whether VC should be removed,” Ghosh said. The JNUSU president along with other members held a meeting with the Ministry of Human Resource Development seeking removal of varsity’s Vice-Chancellor Jagadesh Kumar, following his inaction on Sunday’s campus violence.

The HRD ministry said the removal of the vice-chancellor "was not a solution". HRD secretary Amit Khare said officials of the ministry will talk to Kumar again on Friday over the students' claims of revised fee not being implemented.

"The removal of the vice chancellor is not a solution," he said, adding the ministry officials will also meet JNU Students' Union after meeting Kumar.

Even as the police refused to allow marchers to move towards Rashtrapati Bhawan, the slogan shouting started. Amid screams of "Delhi Police murdabad (down with Delhi Police)," the detentions began. The students were taken to Connaught Place police station.

Those present at the university during the attack on January 5 had alleged that the police remained mute bystanders as masked goons, armed with sticks and iron bars, attacked students and teachers. At least 19 students and five faculty members were injured and needed medical treatment.

Meanwhile, in a related development, former HRD minister Murli Manohar Joshi posted a tweet containing a strongly-worded statement saying that the JNU VC should not be allowed to continue in his post: