FIR against five JNUSU members for removing CCTV cameras outside hostel

An FIR was registered at Vasant Kunj (North) police station on Sunday against Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) president Mohit Kumar Pandey and five other office holders, after they forcibly removed CCTV cameras from the University's Brahmaputra hostel.

Acting on a court order, the University administration had started the process of installing CCTV cameras across the campus on Sunday.

The administration roped in system analyst Satyendra, graphics analyst Deepak, security in-charge Naveen Yadav and three other workers for the job.

Seeing this, several students gathered around the installation site and protested against it. Soon, Pandey, along with JNUSU general secretary Satrupa Chakravarty and union members Amal Pullarkkat, Dileep Yadav and Abhay, began arguing with the workers.

The argument soon turned into a minor scuffle and Mohit and other union members allegedly dismantled a CCTV camera outside the hostel and forced the staff to stop the installation work. The workers claimed that they were pushed around by the students and one of them was hurt.

In their complaint, the workers claimed that as soon they reached the corridor outside the hostel, several students reached the spot and started sloganeering. Later, Pandey and other office holders joined in the sloganeering. The workers also claimed that the students pulled down a ladder and that Mohit went outside the main gate to dismantle a CCTV camera, reportedly worth Rs 32,000.

The CCTV installation team soon left and informed University administration was informed about the incident.

Police said an FIR was filed against Pandey, Chakravarty and union members Pullarkkat, Yadav and Abhay under sections 341 (wrongful restraint) and 427 (mischief causing damage worth Rs 50) on the basis of a complaint lodged by the varsity administration.

Meanwhile, JNUSU has claimed that the JNU administration had bypassed many rules to impose a 'surveillance state' inside the campus.