My association with Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) goes back to 20 years. I studied at this prestigious institution and today, I am a professor in the teaching faculty here.
JNU is a university of repute known worldwide for its academic record but today I am scared to go back to the campus.
I was among those who got injured in the mayhem unleashed by a gang of masked assailants on Sunday evening.
Some of the faculty members and students had actually gathered inside the campus to discuss ongoing tension in the university in the wake of a complaint filed by the administration alleging ransacking of the server room by some students. Suddenly, roughly 70-80 persons with faces partially covered entered the campus. Armed with hockey sticks and stones, they started attacking those present there and brutally beat up some of the students and faculty members.
They also threw stones of all sizes at us. A masked assailant hit my shoulder with a hockey stick.
After a minute, another person hit me on the head with a stone about the size of half a brick. I got deep cuts and was first taken to the health centre on the university campus.
Later I was shifted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) where I underwent treatment for lacerations.
The assailants are yet to be identified and caught by the police. I am very scared for the first time in my life and don’t know how to deal with the trauma caused by this situation.
(As told to Karuna Madan)
