This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/05/world/asia/india-jawaharlal-nehru-university-attack.html
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Masked Men Attack Students in Rampage at University in New Delhi | Masked Men Attack Students in Rampage at University in New Delhi |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| NEW DELHI — Dozens of masked men in New Delhi stormed one of India’s most prestigious universities on Sunday, attacking students and professors with rods and bricks, vandalizing dormitories and injuring at least 42 people, some of them seriously, officials said. | NEW DELHI — Dozens of masked men in New Delhi stormed one of India’s most prestigious universities on Sunday, attacking students and professors with rods and bricks, vandalizing dormitories and injuring at least 42 people, some of them seriously, officials said. |
| Some students accused the police of complicity, and videos posted on social media appeared to show officers standing by as students were beaten in front of them. | Some students accused the police of complicity, and videos posted on social media appeared to show officers standing by as students were beaten in front of them. |
| The attack, which was described by students and witnesses and recorded in videos posted on social media, happened at Jawaharlal Nehru University, a leafy campus in New Delhi. Students at the university said the attackers belonged to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, a Hindu nationalist student organization. The group denied involvement. | The attack, which was described by students and witnesses and recorded in videos posted on social media, happened at Jawaharlal Nehru University, a leafy campus in New Delhi. Students at the university said the attackers belonged to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, a Hindu nationalist student organization. The group denied involvement. |
| Witnesses said the attackers rushed the campus between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. They shattered windows, attacked medics and yelled, “Hail Lord Ram!” — a reference to a Hindu god that has become a battle cry for far-right Hindu nationalists as India has grown more polarized under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. | Witnesses said the attackers rushed the campus between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. They shattered windows, attacked medics and yelled, “Hail Lord Ram!” — a reference to a Hindu god that has become a battle cry for far-right Hindu nationalists as India has grown more polarized under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. |
| In a video of the incident, people charge down a hallway, raising bats as students scream, “Get out!” In another, Aishe Ghosh, president of the university’s student union, can barely get out words as she addresses the camera. “I have been brutally attacked,” she says, her hair matted with blood. “I am not even in a condition to talk.” | In a video of the incident, people charge down a hallway, raising bats as students scream, “Get out!” In another, Aishe Ghosh, president of the university’s student union, can barely get out words as she addresses the camera. “I have been brutally attacked,” she says, her hair matted with blood. “I am not even in a condition to talk.” |
| Students said the attack was related, at least in part, to continuing protests among campus groups over fee increases. They also said the attackers targeted liberal leaders among the student body, and those who had been vocal about their opposition to Hindu nationalist policies endorsed by Mr. Modi’s governing Bharatiya Janata Party. | Students said the attack was related, at least in part, to continuing protests among campus groups over fee increases. They also said the attackers targeted liberal leaders among the student body, and those who had been vocal about their opposition to Hindu nationalist policies endorsed by Mr. Modi’s governing Bharatiya Janata Party. |
| In recent weeks, as protests swelled over a contentious citizenship law that many Indians see as discriminatory against the country’s 200 million Muslim minority, there were at least two similar attacks at other colleges. | In recent weeks, as protests swelled over a contentious citizenship law that many Indians see as discriminatory against the country’s 200 million Muslim minority, there were at least two similar attacks at other colleges. |
| Last month, at Jamia Millia Islamia, also in New Delhi, the police used force against student protesters and others, lobbing tear gas canisters into a library, firing into crowds and partially blinding a student. That university, like Jawaharlal Nehru University, has a history of liberal activism. | Last month, at Jamia Millia Islamia, also in New Delhi, the police used force against student protesters and others, lobbing tear gas canisters into a library, firing into crowds and partially blinding a student. That university, like Jawaharlal Nehru University, has a history of liberal activism. |
| But as the government has increasingly come under scrutiny for allowing excessive force against demonstrators, including detaining and torturing minors, calls have grown louder for a more forceful condemnation of the violence. | But as the government has increasingly come under scrutiny for allowing excessive force against demonstrators, including detaining and torturing minors, calls have grown louder for a more forceful condemnation of the violence. |
| By late Sunday, government officials across party lines denounced the attack at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Mr. Modi’s party characterized it as a “desperate attempt by forces of anarchy who are determined to use students as cannon fodder.” India’s foreign minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, called it “completely against the tradition and culture of the university.” | By late Sunday, government officials across party lines denounced the attack at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Mr. Modi’s party characterized it as a “desperate attempt by forces of anarchy who are determined to use students as cannon fodder.” India’s foreign minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, called it “completely against the tradition and culture of the university.” |
| “Condemn the violence unequivocally,” he wrote on Twitter. | “Condemn the violence unequivocally,” he wrote on Twitter. |
| In a statement released shortly after the attack started, university administrators called on students to remain calm and emphasized that the police had been asked to restore order against “masked miscreants.” | In a statement released shortly after the attack started, university administrators called on students to remain calm and emphasized that the police had been asked to restore order against “masked miscreants.” |
| But some students said the authorities stood by as the mob rampaged on their campus, breaking into dormitories with broken bottles and bats, and forcing terrified students to barricade themselves in their rooms. | But some students said the authorities stood by as the mob rampaged on their campus, breaking into dormitories with broken bottles and bats, and forcing terrified students to barricade themselves in their rooms. |
| Videos posted on social media showed members of the mob walking, undeterred, on the campus with iron rods, and people reported being beaten as the police watched. By midnight, hundreds of other activists from far-right Hindu groups had gathered on the streets, threatening journalists and vandalizing vehicles. As students fled through the university’s gates, some said police officers told them to chant “Hail Mother India.” | Videos posted on social media showed members of the mob walking, undeterred, on the campus with iron rods, and people reported being beaten as the police watched. By midnight, hundreds of other activists from far-right Hindu groups had gathered on the streets, threatening journalists and vandalizing vehicles. As students fled through the university’s gates, some said police officers told them to chant “Hail Mother India.” |
| “The police were acting like accomplices,” said Ananya Pandey, 24, a former student who was visiting friends on campus when the attack occurred. | “The police were acting like accomplices,” said Ananya Pandey, 24, a former student who was visiting friends on campus when the attack occurred. |
| In an interview with Asian News International, a local outlet, Devender Arya, a deputy police commissioner, said the authorities had entered the campus as soon as they received word from the university. He denied accusations that the police were passively or actively abetting the attacks, and promised legal action against the attackers. | In an interview with Asian News International, a local outlet, Devender Arya, a deputy police commissioner, said the authorities had entered the campus as soon as they received word from the university. He denied accusations that the police were passively or actively abetting the attacks, and promised legal action against the attackers. |
| “The university continues to be peaceful,” he said. “As far as we are concerned, the university area is absolutely under control.” | “The university continues to be peaceful,” he said. “As far as we are concerned, the university area is absolutely under control.” |
| But on Sunday evening, many students said it felt unsafe to return. | But on Sunday evening, many students said it felt unsafe to return. |
| Hundreds protested on the streets and outside a police station, yelling out the name of B.R. Ambedkar, the Indian independence fighter who championed lower castes and helped write the Constitution, and shouting, “We will not put up with dictatorship!” | Hundreds protested on the streets and outside a police station, yelling out the name of B.R. Ambedkar, the Indian independence fighter who championed lower castes and helped write the Constitution, and shouting, “We will not put up with dictatorship!” |
| “We must come out and speak for our futures,” said Vivek Kumar, a graduate student. “Today was an unprecedented attack on our existence and we will demand justice for this to the very end.” | “We must come out and speak for our futures,” said Vivek Kumar, a graduate student. “Today was an unprecedented attack on our existence and we will demand justice for this to the very end.” |
| Maria Abi-Habib and Sameer Yasir contributed reporting. |