On the morning of 26th this month (Saturday), Vinod, a contract worker was brutally assaulted by the Chief Security Officer of JNU, M.S. Cheema of the Group 4. On the unfounded allegation that Vinod stole a cell-phone lost by a JNU resident (wife of Dr. Rajendra Prasad, present rector and faculty member in JNU), he was taken to the security office at North Gate and beaten up and kept in illegal custody for over three hours. Vinod was punched, kicked, slapped and elbowed. He was made to stand for over an hour with his legs spread. He was constantly abused and humiliated. As he belongs to the Valmiki community, Vinod was abused on caste lines. Cheema said ‘yeh to Jat hi aisi hai, chor hain sab ke sab’. Cheema also threatened to strip him naked and beat him up. As a result of all his ordeals Vinod’s body was covered with deep purple bruises. The beating continued till Vinod’s supervisor was forced to pay Rs.5000 on his behalf, which is going to be cut from his future salary. A medico-legal report confirms that he has suffered aggravated assault.
All of this was done on flimsy grounds; there is no evidence to show that Vinod picked up the phone or is in possession of it now. Even if someone is found guilty of such acts, nobody, including the ‘all powerfull’ guardian Mr. Cheema, has no authority to assault anyone. In the present case, he has no evidence or witness to implicate Vinod. He just happened to be collecting garbage in the area when the phone was lost. Even the lady who lost the phone was only mildly suspicious and was not sure of where she lost her phone. In any case, the grounds for suspicion against Vinod are extremely weak.
Based on the description of events by Vinod as well the lady who lost the phone, it seems quite clear that Vinod is innocent. She requested G4 only to enquire whether he saw the phone or not. She specifically asked the G4 guards not to beat up Vinod or take any money from him. Despite this, Vinod was brutally assaulted and Rs.5000 was taken from his supervisor. The money has not reached the owner of the phone and she has clearly stated that she has never asked for and will not take the money. It is just another case of victimizing the economically and socially weaker section of the society for ‘crimes’ which they have never committed. If we let go of such serious criminal acts, ironically by the same authorities responsible for providing ‘security’ in the campus, we will only make JNU even more unsafe for the marginalized sections.
We demand immediate suspension of Cheema, the JNU Chief Security Officer, pending an independent inquiry to the whole matter. The Rs.5000 extorted from Vinod must also be immediately given back to him along with a compensation for the physical and mental torture
he was made to undergo. The JNUSUGen. Sec. has been
informed about the incident. We ask the JNUSU should
take up this issue with the administration immediately
and ensure that neither Vinod, nor any worker in the
campus be further victimized.
All of this was done on flimsy grounds; there is no evidence to show that Vinod picked up the phone or is in possession of it now. Even if someone is found guilty of such acts, nobody, including the ‘all powerfull’ guardian Mr. Cheema, has no authority to assault anyone. In the present case, he has no evidence or witness to implicate Vinod. He just happened to be collecting garbage in the area when the phone was lost. Even the lady who lost the phone was only mildly suspicious and was not sure of where she lost her phone. In any case, the grounds for suspicion against Vinod are extremely weak.
Based on the description of events by Vinod as well the lady who lost the phone, it seems quite clear that Vinod is innocent. She requested G4 only to enquire whether he saw the phone or not. She specifically asked the G4 guards not to beat up Vinod or take any money from him. Despite this, Vinod was brutally assaulted and Rs.5000 was taken from his supervisor. The money has not reached the owner of the phone and she has clearly stated that she has never asked for and will not take the money. It is just another case of victimizing the economically and socially weaker section of the society for ‘crimes’ which they have never committed. If we let go of such serious criminal acts, ironically by the same authorities responsible for providing ‘security’ in the campus, we will only make JNU even more unsafe for the marginalized sections.
We demand immediate suspension of Cheema, the JNU Chief Security Officer, pending an independent inquiry to the whole matter. The Rs.5000 extorted from Vinod must also be immediately given back to him along with a compensation for the physical and mental torture
he was made to undergo. The JNUSUGen. Sec. has been
informed about the incident. We ask the JNUSU should
take up this issue with the administration immediately
and ensure that neither Vinod, nor any worker in the
campus be further victimized.
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