JNU Students thrashed by Panipat police

By AMITABH SHANKAR
New Delhi, Oct. 26: Three students claimed that they had a narrow escape from being killed in a fake encounter in Panipat in Haryana.
Three students, including two of Jawaharlal Nehru University, and one photographer were allegedly thrashed in Panipat by garment factory owner and their belongings, including mobile phones and video camera, were snatched while they were shooting outside a factory for a documentary on the working conditions in garment factory in HUDA industrial area on Tuesday.
The students also alleged that the station house of the local police station was also involved in the conspiracy with the local goons and a son of the garment factory owner.
Venkat, a Ph.D. student of Centre for Law and Governance at JNU, told The Asian Age that he along with Veermani, another JNU student, and Palani Chamy of Pondichery University had gone to Panipat to shoot a documentary with a photographer named Madhavan.
After they had shot some scenes of streets and the area, they entered into the premises of a factory called G.S. Exports and interviewed some of the workers for about 10-15 minutes and video-recorded their soundbites. When they came out of the factory, they found that their car was missing from where they had parked. "Some people who claimed to be CBI officers approached us and accused us of being involved in a robbery-cum-murder case and asked us to accompany them to the local police station," alleged Venkat. They then forcibly took us inside the factory and hurled abuses on us and thrashed us, added Venkat. "We were also stripped naked. Meanwhile, they gave a call to the police. Two police officers in civil dress came, one of whom was the SHO of HUDA police station," alleged Venkat.
Venkat also alleged that the factory owners suggested to the SHO that he take them to the Uttar Pradesh border and kill them in an encounter and throw them in the Yamuna river so that no one will come to know of them. The SHO then took them to the police station and again thrashed them there. They were made to sign on papers on which concocted accusations were written against them.
However, the DSP of the area came to their rescue, who was convinced that they were JNU students. He asked them some questions and assured them of strict action against the guilty. However, he too asked them to reach a compromise and made the four sign some papers.

COURTESY: ASIAN AGE