New Delhi: Delhi Police Special Investigating Team (SIT) has identified the WhatsApp group named ‘Unity against Left’ linked to the January 5 mob attack on JNU students and faculty.
According to a senior Delhi Police officer heading the investigation, they are not ruling out ABVP activists’ involvement in the mob attack. The 37 of 60 members of the WhatsApp group linked to the mob attack was created just an hour before the violence took place in the varsity campus.
Further, police is also going to investigate the role of Rohit Singh, BA (French) 1st year JNU student and Akshat Awasthi, also enrolled in the same course in the university, in the violence. Around twenty ABVP activists who are alleged to be involved in the mob attack will also to be subjected to investigation by police, said a source.
Meanwhile, a sting operation conducted by India Today exposed ABVP’s role in the violence as the video shows Akshat Awasthi claiming that on the day of the violence, lights of the campus were switched off by the Delhi police personnel. In the sting, Awasthi also identifies himself and several others as members of the ABVP.
The ABVP has, however, denied that Awasthi and another individual (Rohit Shah) were associated with the student organisation in any capacity.
Earlier, the Delhi Police Crime Branch had released photographs of nine suspects, including JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh, whom they blamed to be have been involved in the violence. During a Press conference held by DCP (Crime), Joy Tirkey, he flashed a photograph in which, Aishe Ghosh was seen leading the mob inside JNU campus.
The police said that Aishe Ghosh led a mob that attacked Periyar Hostel inside the university but did not present the CCTV footage while claiming that the server room was vandalised in the violence.
However, according to DCP Tirkey, they have not detained anyone so far. But notices to the identified people will be served to join the investigation which is still going on.
