After JNU student shares FB post of alleged molestation by cops, Delhi police book her for 'rioting and assault'

The Delhi police has booked a NU student, who alleged molestation and assault by the cops, for rioting and assault, News 18 reported.

The student had shared several images of the scuffle between students and teachers, and cops to highlight how the students were molested. The images, which have gone viral since they were published on March 24, have not gone down well with either the cops and the university administration.

The student, along with some of her friends face arrest after the cops lodged a complaint against them for “assault”, “outraging the modesty of a woman” and “rioting while armed with a deadly weapon”.

The group was protesting against the bail granted to JNU professor Atul Johri, who has been accused of sexual harassment by eight women.

Johri was arrested and granted bail in a span of few hours leading to massive outrage by students and teachers alike. It led them to take out a protest rally on March 23, which was interrupted by the police midway, which resulted in the clashes.

The eight complainants from JNU's School of Life Sciences (SLS), where Johri is a professor, during a press conference said they were being pressurised to withdraw their complaints. "There is a lot of pressure on us from various sources to withdraw the complaint. In fact, the excuse of attendance is being made to give this entire issue a political colour. There is no relation between the attendance row and sexual harassment," they said.

Reacting on Johri's claim that he has been a "victim of Left supporters", the complainants said, "While the truth remains that many of us are registered members and supporters of the ABVP., we want this case to be taken as a serious case of sexual harassment and no political undertone should be given to it.

"We have taken immense courage to come out and speak. We have put our academic careers, personal and professional lives at stake. If we don't speak up now, the situation will not change and other female students who are pursuing their research under Johri would go through the same experience," they said.

The group of women, now popularly known as 'JNU's eight', had registered multiple complaints of sexual harassment against Johri on March 16. The matter came in the light when an SLS student had filed a police complaint saying the professor, who was also her supervisor, would ask her uncomfortable questions about her relationships with men, make jokes with sexual undertones and comment on her body.