JNU VIOLENCE :Delhi police identify 37 people linked to attack

New Delhi: The Delhi Police has identified 37 of 60 members of a WhatsApp group called 'Unity against Left', which authorities believe is linked to last week's mob attack on JNU students and faculty, police sources said on Saturday.

Around 10 of those identified so far are believed to outsiders, ie, they are not students of the university, who took part in the brutal and unchecked assault that left 34 people injured.

The sources also said groups they have linked to the violence - Left-backed student outfits and BJP-linked ABVP (Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad) - both took help from outsiders. They said JNU students facilitated the entry of these outsiders into the campus.

One of the 37 individuals identified is Manish Jangid, who is secretary of the ABVP's JNU unit, and said that he had no knowledge of being added to the group. "My phone had broken. When I got it repaired then I got to know that I had been added to the group," he claimed.

Meanwhile, JNU Vice Chancellor Jagadeesh M Kumar held his first meeting with students since the attack earlier in the day. Kumar, who had a meeting with the Education Ministry on Friday, met around 20 students - none were from the student union - and accused "illegal students staying in hostels" may have participated in the violence.

The Vice Chancellor also spoke about installing CCTV cameras outside hostels.

Kumar has been heavily criticised for apparent inaction during Sunday's attack and his resignation has been demanded by sections of both students and faculty,

The police, who have come under fire for their conduct during the attack - students of the prestigious university in Delhi have alleged the cops "did nothing" to stop it - have yet to arrest anyone since violence broke out on the campus on January 5.

On Friday, they named JNU students union leader Aishe Ghosh, who was badly wounded in the attack, among nine suspects they said carried out the violence.

Releasing a series of photographs - some of which did not seem to clearly identify the suspects - the cops named Ghosh and others, including Yogendra Bhardwaj and Vikas Patel; both Bhardwaj and Patel are said to be ABVP members.

"No one has been detained (as yet). Notices will be served to all suspects," Joy Tirkey, DCP (Crime Branch), was quoted by news reports, adding that the suspects will be called in for questioning soon.

The top cop also said the lack of CCTV footage was a major hurdle in identifying suspects. Last week the police said screenshots from social media posts that went viral were also being studied.