Sixth student questioned in Jan 5 JNU violence case

NEW DELHI: Police on Wednesday questioned Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student, Dolan Samanta, to ascertain her role in the vandalism and violence which took place on the campus between January 3 and January 5.

Samanta, who was seen on a video with her face covered, is among the nine students named by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) for indulging in the January 5 violence on JNU campus, in which 34 students and teachers were injured. So far, five of the nine students have been questioned on Monday and Tuesday. Samanta was the sixth person who was questioned.

Samanta and another JNU student, Chunchun Kumar, were served notices by the SIT — that is probing three cases related to JNU violence and vandalism — to join the probe on Wednesday. While Samanta turned up, Kumar did not appear before the investigators, said an SIT officer.

“We questioned Samanta for almost an hour. She was showed the video and asked why she was masked. Samanta was also asked about the three men who were seen with her in the video. The questioning was focused on her role in the violence and the sequence of events leading to it,” the officer said, on the condition of anonymity.

After her questioning, Samanta told she has submitted a two-page statement to the police which includes her complaint and her whereabouts on January 3, 4 and 5.

“They asked me questions like — where the video is from (a grab from which was shown in a police press conference last week). They showed me a video of Sabarmati Hostel where the attack happened and I helped them identify some of those who were involved. I was in Sabarmati when the attack happened and I was also injured,” she told PTI. “They said I could be called again. I have agreed and I have signed a bond stating that I will come whenever I am called,” she said.

Chunchun Kumar told PTI that he did not receive any message or mail in this regard, otherwise he would have made himself available for questioning. He said he was in Delhi.

Three students who are from the ABVP – the masked woman seen on video indulging in violence at Sabarmati hostel, Akshat Awasthi and Rohit Shah – are still absconding, the police said. Awasthi and Shah are seen testifying to their involvement in January 5 violence in a sting operation done by India Today news channel.

On Wednesday, a team of Forensic Science Laboratory also visited the campus to retrieve data from the server room, the police said.