As details of the inquiry into Sunday’s violence at Jawaharlal Nehru University become available, the spotlight is firmly on the role of the Delhi police. One explanation that the police have given for their apparent inaction during the mob attack in the university is the flak they received after storming Jamia Millia Islamia University last month. Supposedly, after what happened in Jamia, they did not want to enter a campus without written permission from the administration. But is being wary to the point of inefficacy explanation enough, considering what the mob did?
There is evidence to indicate the Delhi police chose not to act against the mob. They didn’t enter the campus until 7.45 pm even though WhatsApp messages put out by India Today show JNU Students Union president Aishe Ghosh had alerted Vasant Kunj Station House Officer Ritu Raj, Inspector Sanjeev Mandal, and Special Commissioner of Police Anand Mohan to the violence as early as 3 pm on January 5.
