Jawaharlal Nehru University students allege manhandling by cops during protest

The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students on Saturday alleged that they were "manhandled" by the police during their protest against the "failure" of the Centre in providing relief to the people in the flood-ravaged Kerala. The JNU Students Union (JNUSU) filed a complaint in this regard.

The students were stopped by the police near Jantar Mantar while they were trying to make their way towards the Union Home Ministry office. They held the protest at Jantar Mantar.

"Even as the protest was done with utmost discipline, the Delhi police officers present there purposely created provocation and abused the students physically and verbally. Female students were molested by male police personnel," the students said in their complaint registered at the Parliament Street police station.

They also alleged that the students, who could not speak Hindi, were particularly "targeted". "We demand an immediate action against the police officers deployed at the protest spot failing to which the JNUSU will be compelled to organise strong agitation to ensure that sexual harassment and racial abuse by the police will come to an end," the complaint stated.

However, the police denied the allegation saying that the female cops were deployed at the spot. "The students did not take pre-requisite permission to hold the protest and hence they were stopped. The female students were escorted by female cops to the police van," said a senior official at the Parliament Street police station.