After unprecedented acts of violence by alleged goons in Delhi University on Wednesday, the Campus turned into a fortress on Thursday. Huge police personnel were deployed to keep things in check in and around the area. This evoked a huge sense of fear and apprehension amongst students and only movements of members of different groups were witnessed throughout the day.
Following Wednesday's clash, tension prevailed at the Campus and members of NSUI marched towards Maurice Nagar police station chanting Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram as they condemned the violence unleashed by the ABVP members. "We have not called for a protest. We believe in non-violence and stand for freedom of speech and expression. We request everyone not to politicise the matter," NSUI president Amrita Dhawan said.
Those who do not want follow any school of thought witnessed the entire episode silently, sitting as mute spectators and not wanting to comment on any issue or development whatsoever.
When Millennium Post questioned a 3rd year student of the Law faculty, he said: "We have come over here to study and not to indulge in any kind of groupism. Authorities need to take stringent action against the culprits and ensure us that these kind of activities are not repeated."
However, around 50 members of the ABVP (Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad) also gathered outside the Arts Faculty at North Campus and reiterated that they would not allow "any repeat of JNU-like events" in the University Campus. Meanwhile, a day after the rampage, faculty members from different colleges of the University expressed their views and criticised the high-handedness of the ABVP members to curb freedom of speech in the Campus.
Expressing the fear of safety for teachers, Saumyajit Bhattacharya, faculty of Kirori Mal College, said: "I have never seen this kind of gundagardi. My colleagues were extremely shocked at the reaction of the ABVP members when they started throwing chairs on the faculty members sitting in front of the staff room."
He added: "As soon as the march turned towards SRCC, ABVP members stood over the barricades outside the Arts Faculty and started hitting the protesters continuously, including teachers and professors. It scared me to death to know that teachers and professors were hit so badly."
Prashant Chakravarty, a senior faculty member of Department of English was attacked by the ABVP goons during the clash on Wednesday. He was strangulated by the ABVP members and was later taken to the Hindu Rao Hospital and is under treatment.
The faculty of DU raised issues which stated that after ABVP's act the colleges will have to manage with higher security arrangements before organising a seminar or a public meet. Also, that the fear that has spread across the Campus will force University colleges to rethink before conducting seminars and their topics of discussion. Teachers alleged that the rampage was a targeted attack. Shobhana Warrier, Faculty of Kamla Nehru College, said: "This is not a clash but an attempt to muffle the voices of democracy."