#JNUViolence: Journalists attacked outside JNU gates, stopped from reporting

The gates of Jawaharlal Nehru University have been closed with media persons not being allowed to enter. This follows an evening of violence where about 50 people with masks on, sticks and clubs in hand, went on a rampage inside the university. Several videos on social media platforms have emerged with disturbing visuals of students being beaten up and bleeding.

Newslaundry correspondents are currently stationed outside JNU gates, where close to 50 to 80 people are chanting slogans like ‘vaampanti murdabad’ and ‘deshdrohi vaapis jao’. A reporter from India Today was stopped from recording his live piece-to-camera for the channel, meanwhile, another reporter from Scroll stated that he was heckled for recording the scenes outside the gate. The India Today reporter was delivering his piece-to-camera when he was stopped from doing so. You can hear one man in the crowd say, ‘Maro saalon ko [beat them],” Another says, “Agli baar bakwas na karega [he won’t talk nonsense again].” Speaking to Newslaundry, the India Today reporter told us, “I was doing my job. The moment I said that the law and order situation has broken, they attacked me and called me Naxalwadi and whatnot. I ran and still I was chased and attacked. We have been mobbed by JNU students and Jamia students, but never attacked.” In a tweet, he stated none of those who attacked him seemed like students.

We will be on the story and update it with more details as they emerge.