JNU violence: 70 administrators of WhatsApp groups under scanner

New Delhi, Jan 10: Four days after a masked mob entered the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus here and assaulted 34 people including students, the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police on Thursday said it had zeroed in on a few suspects behind the attack.

A senior police officer said they had identified at least 70 administrators of two WhatsApp groups, where the attack on members of the JNU Students' Union (JNUSU) was allegedly planned.

According to the police, they were very close to identifying the culprits behind Sunday's attack and had zeroed in on a few suspects.

The dump data of the mobile phones of those present on the university campus on Sunday was collected and being scanned, the police said.

So far, the police have spoken to more than 100 people from the campus, including students, teachers, wardens and witnesses.

After the incident, several students shared screenshots of conversations in certain WhatsApp groups, alleging that the attack on them was planned. A police officer said they had now identified at least 70 administrators of two WhatsApp groups.

The police, however, said they were trying to identify all the members of the two WhatsApp groups and will be questioning them to probe their involvement in the attack.

After the police made a public appeal requesting people to share information, footage and video clips related to the incident, several students came forward to share the details.

The police said they were also scanning the video clips and CCTV footage shared on social media platforms to verify its authenticity.

A team from the Forensic Science Laboratory had also visited the university to collect more evidence, the police said.