New Delhi, January 6: A far-right group, Hindu Raksha Dal, claimed responsibility for the brutal assault on Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) teachers and students inside the campus. In a statement issued late night on Monday, the group said its cadres had barged into the campus of the premier institute on January 5 and perpetrated the attack on JNUSU members and faculty members.

Hindu Raksha Dal leader Pinki Chaudhary, who appeared in the video, said the attack was carried out against the JNU students and faculty members as anti-national and anti-Hindu views are being harboured in the campus. "The University has been a centre of communism-related activities. They abuse our religion and our nation. This would not be tolerated," he said. JNUSU Chief Aishe Ghosh Returns to Campus Day After Mob Attack, Demands Ouster of V-C Jagadesh Kumar.

Pinki, in the video, added that the group will bring other universities also under its radar if the anti-national activities in their campuses are not clamped down. "We will carry out such attacks in the future as well. If our religion and our nation are being disrespected, then how we remain silent?" he asked.

Watch Video of Hindu Raksha Dal Taking Responsibility of JNU Attack

The Hindu Raksha Dal had earned notoriety in 2014 when it attacked the office of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Kaushambi. One of the group's leader, Bhupender Tomar, was arrested for allegedly vandalising the premises owned by the Arvind Kejriwal-led party.

The Delhi Police is expected to take action against the Hindu Raksha Dal after the release of the purported video in which the group has claimed responsibility for the JNU attack. The violence at the University on Sunday evening left over 40 people, including students and teachers, severely injured. Some of them were admitted to the AIIMS Trauma Centre after the assault. None of the attackers were arrested by the time this report was published.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 07, 2020 12:08 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).