‘Working to pacify’: BJP on Cong claim that it instigated JNU violence
Both the BJP leaders said that they were there like all leaders of other political party.
The Congress on Monday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of instigating violence at Jawaharlal Nehru University on Sunday evening in which 23 people, including students and teachers, were injured. Former MP and Congress leader Udit Raj alleged that leaders from BJP’s Delhi unit were shouting slogan and accused them of instigating violence.
At a press conference addressed by Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala and senior party leaders, Udit Raj named six people who he claimed were involved in instigating the violence.
Raj, a former BJP MP from North West Delhi who joined the Congress before 2019 Lok Sabha elections, alleged that former BJP MLA RK Puram Anil Sharma, former BJP district president of Mehrauli Azad Singh along with four other party’s Mehrauli unit members were present outside JNU. “I have a video where they are shouting slogans ‘wampanthiyo gundo ko... maro goli’. I witnessed this for three hours. They can be seen shouting slogans and leading the mob of 100-150 people. There is no doubt who went inside. They were hitting on the gate and trying to enter the campus. But the police were a mute spectator,” alleged Raj.
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When contacted, both Sharma and Singh admitted that they were there outside the varsity gate but refuted Raj’s claim. Sharma said he reached JNU around 8 pm after hearing the news of violence at the campus.
Both the BJP leaders said that they were there like all leaders of other political party. “Yogendra Yadav, D Raja and other political leaders were there. I had gone as the campus is in the adjoining assembly constituency. He (Raj) should show one proof that we were involved in violence or were instigating people. We are ready for harshest punishment. We were trying to pacify people,” said Sharma.
Singh too challenged Raj to place the proof in public domain. “We got reports that ABVP students were beaten up. We were concerned and this is why we went to the varsity. There were other political leaders present there too. Raj should show the proof that we were there,” said Singh.
When asked about the allegations levelled by the Congress against BJP leaders, DCP southwest Devender Arya said, “As an when we get a complaint in this regard, we will investigate. There were people from both side present outside the gate. Police ensured that no damage to person was cause inside and outside. We successfully managed to handle the situation.”
Surjewala said, “The JNU administration was complicit in the attack by the goons at JNU campus. The police were a mute spectator as goons damaged ambulances outside and beating up students inside the JNU campus. These goons belong to the BJP and its frontal wing ABVP. This was happening with the tacit support of home minister Amit Shah.”
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