Warns Other Varsities on ‘Anti-National’ Activities
WEB DESK
Hindu Raksha Dal, a far-Right group, has claimed responsibility for the brutal assault on teachers and students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) by a masked mob on January 5.
outfit’s leader Bhupendra Tomar alias Pinky Chaudhary’s admission comes at a time when a video, which has gone viral, shows ABVP’s Delhi Joint Secretary Anima Sonkar admitting on national television that two armed men seen in videos carrying rods in the JNU campus are from the RSS-linked student union.
In another video posted on Twitter, the outfit’s leader Bhupendra Tomar alias Pinky Chaudhary said Hindu Raksha Dal workers barged into the JNU campus on Sunday night as “anti-national and anti-Hindu activities” were being carried out there.
“JNU is a hub of communists and we won’t tolerate such hubs. They abuse our religion and our country. Their attitude towards our religion is anti-national. In future, too, we will take the same action in other universities if someone tries to indulge in anti-national activities,” Tomar said in the 1 minute and 59 second video.
Tomar, said he and his Right-wing outfit take full responsibility for the attack. “They live in our country, they eat here, get their education here and then indulge in anti-national activities… those involved in that JNU act were all our workers. We are always ready to sacrifice our lives for the country,” he said.
During a panel discussion on Times Now, Anima Sonkar said the duo were carrying rods in “self-defence”. Seeking to explain the videos that emerged following the Sunday night attack on JNU students and teachers on campus, Sonkar said they were asked on WhatsApp groups to be armed before stepping out.
SEVERAL students and teachers including JNU Students’ Union president Aishe Ghosh, were injured.
The violence drew strong reactions from opposition parties which hit out at the BJP and accused “those in power” of trying to scuttle the voice of students.