New Delhi: After an incident of vandalism was reported at the Jawaharlal Nehru Universitys (JNU) library on June 8, the Delhi Police on Wednesday registered an FIR naming five students as being part of a mob, who were allegedly involved in breaking the library gates before barging into the premises and manhandling security guards and the library staff. As per the FIR lodged at the Vasant Kunj Police Station, at 10:40 am, a security guard reported that around 35 to 40 students had gathered outside the library premises and were trying to barge inside it. However, more security guards were soon called and a human chain was formed to prevent the students from entering the property. Thereafter, the Librarian, Manorama Tripathi, was also informed about the incident and despite repeated requests to them to leave the premises, the students remained adamant to enter, the FIR further read. Following this, some students kicked the library gate and broke one of the glass columns in it and fought with and manhandled the guards deputed there. Five students have been named in the FIR, i.e., Rupesh Kumar, Pawan Upadhyay, Dhapu Soni, Harshita and Sunny Dayal. The students have been booked under Sections 188 (obstructing a public servant) and 34 (criminal act by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of IPC, Section 3 of PDPP Act, Section 3 of Epidemic Disease Act and 51 of DDMA Act. However, the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) claimed that the students in question were simply trying to use the Central Library Reading Rooms as the JNU E-Library and Remote Access, which is accessible through the JNU Library Website, has been non-functional for months. "...For this, the JNU Administration, through its hired thugs, the Cyclops Security, has filed an FIR with the Delhi Police. The JNUSU strongly condemns the tactics of criminal intimidation used by the administration… this act of the administration of filing a police complaint under the draconian pre-constitutional epidemic diseases act reeks of sheer hypocrisy and intent for student harassment," the statement said, while calling for the reopening of the library and the withdrawal of the FIR. Meanwhile, the varsity administration in a statement stated that a group of students had a scuffle with the security staff, broke open the side glass door of the B.R. Ambedkar Library, entered the main reading room of the building and have been occupying the space since then. The administration said that the students do not vacate the space even during the night which has caused health risks for the library staff and other students residing in the hostels, "since these unruly students return to the hostel for lunch/dinner or other purposes". The varsity Chief Proctors office too has been tasked with taking necessary disciplinary action against these students as per the university rules, the statement added. (With inputs from Nikita Jain)

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