JNU row: President to meet Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal, journalists today

President Pranab Mukherjee will on Thursday meet several leaders and journalists in connection with the JNU controversy and violence in courts.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues will be meeting the President to discuss the law and order situation after the row over arrest of JNU student union president Kanhaiya Kumar in a sedition case. "Delhi Cabinet will meet Hon'ble President at 2 pm to discuss Delhi law and order situation (sic)," Kejriwal tweeted.

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi will also be meeting President Pranab Mukherjee at 12:30 pm on Thursday. Accompanied by senior leaders and also the young MPs of the party, the Congress Vice President is expected to highlight the "lawlessness" in Delhi in the wake of Patiala House court attacks and the way the government has handled the JNU row as also the Rohith Vemula suicide and the agitation in FTII in Pune.

Party sources said Gandhi will be accompanied by Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, Leader of the party in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and several other party leaders and MPs.

A group of mediapersons will also be meeting the President at 6:30 pm over over the attack by lawyers on those covering the protest.

Despite restrictions by the Supreme Court, the lawyers on Wednesday managed to enter the court complex and roughed up a few journalists, snatched their mobiles and deleted video footage. All the while, journalists alleged, police looked the other way.

Lawyer Vikram Singh Chauhan, who led a group of his colleagues in unleashing a brazen attack on journalists and JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar at the Patiala House Court complex said, "these JNU people had sent their goons to the court premises today. They raised anti-India and pro-Pakistan slogans. Following that a section of the lawyers voiced opposition to their acts. We were provoked."

The attack on Wednesday came just two days after the lawyers were caught on camera thrashing scribes and JNU students and teachers branding them as "anti-nationals".