Maharashtra State's Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday condemned the attack on students at Jawaharlal Nehru University, comparing it with the 26 November 2008 terror attack in Mumbai.
“When I watched the news of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) attacks on television, it reminded me of 26/11 Mumbai terror attack,” Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said.
#WATCH Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on JNU violence: What was the need for attackers to wear masks? They were cowards. I was watching on TV and it reminded me of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack. I will not tolerate such attacks in Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/LR1kpctk8K
— ANI (@ANI) January 6, 2020
The terror attack, carried out by Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), had lasted four days in 2008 and galvanised the nation as it left over 150 people dead and over 300 injured.
Thackeray, who is also the chief of the Shiv Sena party, termed the attackers as cowards who were armed with batons and rods. He said their attackers’ identities should be revealed. “Why was there a need to cover their face… because they were cowards. India can never support such cowardice.”
The leader also emphasised that such an incident would never occur in his state, Maharashtra. “I would never let anything like this happen to students in my state.”
According to reports, the attack took place during a meeting of the JNU teachers’ union. The witnesses claimed that the miscreants had assaulted students and teachers and barged into the university dormitory buildings.
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the parent organisation of Prime Minister Modi's ruling BJP Hindu nationalist party, is being accused of instigating violence.
The ABVP, however, rejected all these allegations and pinned the blame on the communist groups at the university.
JNU Student Union President Aishe Ghosh, who has been active in the anti-CAA protests, was among those who suffered severe injuries.
