Mahiya Badr, a girl from the steel city who studies MA at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi, had taken part in a peaceful protest on campus against fee hike on Sunday. She ended up with a deep gash under her eye.

A victim of campus violence that has shocked the country, Mahiya, 23, saw the entire episode unfold in front of her eyes, she told The Telegraph on Monday over phone from her uncle’s house in Shaheen Bagh, Delhi.

The student of linguistics and her friends had gathered in front of Sabarmati Dhaba on campus around 6.30pm on Sunday when they spotted a group of masked men and women brandishing sticks and rods.

Within seconds, the peaceful demonstration gave way to a confused melee with students running helter-skelter to avoid being hit by stones pelted by the intruders, she said.

“It was a peaceful protest and we had joined to support our teachers fighting for us. Soon, we spotted a group of people with their faces covered entering the campus. They were carrying sticks and rods and started pelting stones at us. Everyone started running, but they caught some students and started raining blows on them. Even teachers were not spared. I was hit by a sharp object just under my eye and started bleeding,” Mahiya said.

She said some of the goons, with helmets on, were carrying bottles with some kind of liquid.

“Though many of us were bleeding profusely, the ambulance wasn’t allowed inside the campus for hours. We were terrified, but the police remained mute spectators,” said the 23-year-old, who was later taken to a hospital and dropped at her uncle’s place around 12:30am.

Mahiya said the group that unleashed the mayhem comprised members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). “Though they had masks on, many of us could identify them from their physique, body language and voices because they were from the campus,” she said.

Mahiya’s classmate Sandeep Das, who hails from Madhupur in Jharkhand, said he felt helpless in the face of mindless violence. “The goons didn’t even spare the visually impaired students, They broke their laptops,” Sandeep said, adding that he had locked himself up in one of the rooms of Mahi Mandavi hostel.

Sandeep said his parents called him on Monday and insisted he came back home.

“We didn’t come to JNU to get beaten up and live in fear. My parents called me and said I don’t need to study anymore because they fear for my safety. But I am still here to support my friends and teachers,” the student said.

In Jamshedpur, All India Democratic Students Organisation (AIDSO) staged a protest in front of the district collectorate on Monday and submitted a memo at the deputy commissioner’s office.

“We demanded the resignation of JNU vice-chancellor and strict action against the culprits of Sunday’s violence,” said Ajay Roy, vice-president of AIDSO (East Singhbhum).