Students at St Stephen's College read the Preamble to the Constitution on the college lawns
Students of St Stephen's in Delhi boycotted classes and protested on the lawns today - in a gesture described as "very rare" for the college - to express solidarity with Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students and teachers attacked by a masked mob on Sunday.
The students gathered on the sprawling lawns of St Stephen's and read the preamble to the Constitution.
On the Twitter feed of a large alumni group of the prestigious college at Delhi University's North Campus, an eight-second video appeared that shows at least 100 students standing outside the college building, holding placards and shouting slogans in the biting cold.
"At St Stephen's today. Students boycott classes (very, very rare) to read the Preamble to the Constitution and to support and say #WeStandWithJNU. And #NoCAANoNRC," the alumni group, Stephanians, tweeted.
"We are here for rights, not riots," reads a placard held by a student. Another reads, "The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis."
In the video, the students gathered on the lawns are heard shouting, "Kal bhi tum haare the, aaj bhi tum haaroge, kal bhi hum jitenge (You lost yesterday, you will lose today also. We will win again tomorrow)."
The students were also heard shouting: "Is baar nahin hum chhodenge, itihas ki dhara modenge (we will not let go this time, we will change the direction of history)."
The group then marched a few hundred metres to the Faculty of Arts area on campus, a short distance from the college.
Students of other nearby colleges on North Campus like Miranda House boycotted classes on a call given by St Stephen's students, news agency IANS reported.
"Students from various colleges and alumni have gathered here in solidarity with whatever that is happening to students in different universities... The incident at JNU is what sparked this big strike," said a student from Delhi University, Faculty of Arts.
A massive masked mob attack at JNU on Sunday evening left over 30 injured, including five teachers. In mobile videos, the masked men are seen hitting students with sticks and sledgehammers and ransacking hostel rooms.
The JNU Students' Union has accused the BJP-linked students' group ABVP for the mob attack. The ABVP claims students allied with the "Left" were responsible for the mayhem.
The Delhi Police have said they are investigating the allegations from both groups.