AIMIM chief Owaisi condemns attack on JNU students

Hyderabad: “They are thieves who are hiding their faces. They are not goondas but enemies of the nation;’ said Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi condemning the violence unleashed on students from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi.

Speaking at All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) headquarters in Hyderabad he said, “ Barging into JNU by masking their faces, they smash the head of the Students’ Union leader. 19 students have been injured by these attacks by outsiders. Videos show how Delhi police is gently asking them to leave fast, saying ‘work is over’.”

The Parliamentarian further added that the responsibility of the students’ wellbeing lies on the shoulders of the state. He said it is the poor and marginalized students in central universities who get targeted in such attacks.

“It’s the poor and marginalised students, Dalits and Adivasis who study in central universities.� They have overcome hardships, worked hard, stayed hungry even to gain admission in these universities. You are thrashing these poor students,” he said.

Speaking in solidarity with student protesters across the nation Owaisi said, “In Jamia Milia, you made a student blind. This is happening in a central university in Delhi, the capital of India. I have been saying this since the past one year, that the situation is going to turn worse. We don’t realize it’s raining when the drops fall on us. We learn about the rains from the winds”

Condemning the attack, Owaisi had earlier posted on Twitter “In solidarity with the brave students of JNU. This cruel attack is meant to ‘punish’ JNU students because they dared to stand up. It’s so bad that even Union Ministers are tweeting helplessly. Modi Sarkar must answer why cops are siding with goons.”

Earlier on January 5, masked goons had entered the JNU campus in the evening, and beat up students and teachers. Around 30 students have been seriously injured in the attack and they have been admitted to AIIMS trauma centre.

Meanwhile, Left students and ABVP students are blaming each other for the attack. While #JNUAttack is trending on Twitter, the trend from the opposite side #LeftAttacksJNU has also gained traction.

Condemning the violence, the University said the incident was linked to the agitation over fee hike in the university. As per the university sources, students opposing the hike wanted to disrupt the admissions process, following which there have been clashes and vandalism on Friday and Saturday. "Students against registration process beat up those in favour of it before the police could reach on Sunday," said the University's registrar in a statement.

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