Streetlights in JNU turned off for over 4 hours as mob ran riot in campus

When asked about the streetlights in the campus being switched off on Sunday evening, JNU registrar Pramod Kumar said he had no knowledge about it.

An uneasy calm prevailed on the JNU campus on Monday with several questions over the violence that took place in the varsity remaining unanswered, including why JNU was plunged into darkness for nearly four-and-a-half hours between 6.30pm and 11.05pm on Sunday.

Several students said the street lights both inside and outside the JNU campus were switched off at around 6:30pm on Sunday, Jan 5, 2020.(Amal KS / HT Photo)

Several students, who spoke on the condition of anonymity as well as those who had reached the varsity gates as soon as the news of the violence spread, said the street lights both inside and outside the campus were switched off at around 6:30pm.

An official associated with BRPL, the power distributor in the area, explained the streetlights inside campus have two switches. The first is an automatic sensor-based switch and the other is an ‘isolation switch, like an emergency back-up.

“The streetlights automatically switches on around 6pm. It is dependent on the brightness of the sky. In this case, the isolation or back-up switch had been turned-off, possibly by someone from the area, who knew the system. The discom concerned provides a single point connection to JNU. Power supply system inside the campus is managed by the university,” said the BRPL official on condition of anonymity.

Anand Mishra, a student of the department of social medicine, who was on campus when the lights went off, said the sudden blackout triggered panic.

“I was being beaten up by masked goons at the T-junction near the 24X7 dhaba, when the lights suddenly went off. Everyone panicked and ran towards their hostels, but most of the roads leading towards the hostels had no light,” he said.

BRPL said it received a complaint about streetlights going off inside JNU.

“Last night, we received a message that the streetlights, on the main road opposite the JNU campus, were not working. A lineman was deputed, who found the switch installed at a public place was in off mode. The lineman switched it on. We observed there was no line fault in the area. The issue is being investigated,” another BRPL official said.

When asked, JNU registrar Pramod Kumar said he had no knowledge about it.

The police too claimed ignorance. “We did not switch off the lights and do not know who did it,” said Devender Arya, DCP (southwest district).