India: Students were attacked at a university in New Delhi affiliated with Modi opponents

Police launched an investigation after about 30 people were injured in clashes in a stronghold of left-wing supporters in the state. The students said police did nothing and that even medical teams were attacked. They blamed Hindu nationalists, who support the prime minister, firmly on the background of the citizenship law protest

India: Students were attacked at a university in New Delhi affiliated with Modi opponents

Masks burst into a prestigious university in New Delhi and attacked students with sticks and rods. Police said on Monday that it launched an investigation following the incident, which sparked further criticism of the Indian government promoting nationalist Hindu policies led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Jawaharlal Nehru University is considered a stronghold of leftist supporters, and the attack came as students across the country led a protest against the Citizenship Law passed last month in Parliament and seen as discriminating against Muslims.

Students have accused students of associating with the ruling party's clashes in which at least 30 people were injured. Photos from the incident showed gangs entering campus living areas with their faces covered. They carried sticks, and even hammers. Some threatened death with "traitors."

Students said police did not respond, leaving them to the mercy of the crowd. Witnesses said the medical teams were also attacked.

The attackers threatened the "traitors". University room after clashes today (Photo: Reuters)

Living room at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India, after being attacked, January 6, 2020 (Photo: Reuters)

New Delhi Police did not respond to the allegations, but Devendra Arya, a police official, said the investigation will look into security cameras and photos posted on social networks. The injured were evacuated to a hospital in the capital, suffering from cuts and bruises. The student wing of the ruling party denied the allegations that its members were responsible for the violence, and instead blamed the left-wing student unions.

Demonstrations against the Citizenship Act continued despite government efforts to suppress them, by disabling the Internet and the messaging services. Modi’s opponents accuse him of eroding India’s democratic and secular character in favor of a nationalist Hindu agenda.

The citizenship law facilitates non-Muslim religious minorities living in India's neighbors - Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan - to obtain citizenship. The government says the law is intended to protect Christians, Hindus and Sikhs persecuted in those Muslim-majority countries.

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University demonstration today (Photo: Reuters)

Demonstration at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India, January 6, 2020 (Photo: Reuters)