JNU Protest: Delhi court releases 14 students, including JNUSU president

New Delhi, Mar 2 (PTI) Fourteen Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students who were arrested during a protest march last week have been released, student leaders said on Monday, calling the development a relief for the university community.

Those released include JNUSU president Aditi Mishra, vice-president Gopika K Babu, joint secretary Danish Ali, former JNUSU president Nitish Kumar, and AISA All India president Neha, among others.

A Delhi court on Sunday ordered the immediate release of the 14 students who were arrested in connection with a protest demonstration at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus recently. The court had granted bail to the protesters on February 27, saying that while assaulting police personnel is a serious offence, the accused are students with their careers ahead of them.

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Total 51 JNU students were detained

The arrests followed an attempted march by JNU Students' Union (JNUSU) members on February 26, who had gathered at the Sabarmati T-Point on the campus and sought to move towards the education ministry as part of the ongoing protests against JNU Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit's recent remarks on a podcast over the implementation of University Grants Commission (UGC) norms, the rustication of office-bearers of the students' union, and the proposed Rohith Vemula Act.

Police personnel, however, stopped the protesters at the heavily barricaded university gates, leading to a scuffle. The Delhi Police claimed that the students resorted to physical assault, injuring several of its personnel during the confrontation, following which an FIR was lodged.

A total of 51 protesters were detained. Student groups alleged the police action was heavy-handed and said the continued detention had caused anxiety among families and classmates. Many of those held are from different states and live in university hostels, they added.

In a statement, All India Students' Association (AISA) said the students' release was a "victory for the students' movement." They said that protests would continue until their demands, including the enactment of equity safeguards in higher education and the rollback of what they termed diluted courses under the National Education Policy, are met.