Leading sportspersons condemn attack on JNU students

India's top sportspersons, including former India opener Gautam Gambhir and Grand Slam winner Rohan Bopanna, have condemned the attacks by an unidentified mob on students and professors of the Jawaharlal Nehru University on Sunday.

Violence broke out inside the JNU campus on Sunday night as masked men armed with sticks attacked students and teachers and damaged property on the campus, prompting the administration to call in police which conducted a flag march.

"Such violence on university campus is completely against the ethos of this country. No matter what the ideology or bent of mind, students cannot be targeted this way. Strictest punishment has to be meted out to these goons who have dared to enter the University," World Cup winning BJP MP Gambhir tweeted.

Outspoken former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan said that such incidents do not help the country's image.

"What happened in JNU yesterday is not a regular incident. Students being attacked by armed mob inside University campus, in hostels, is as broken as it can get. This isn't helping our country's image," Pathan wrote on his twitter page.

Senior Davis Cupper and former French Open mixed doubles champion Bopanna wrote: "Horrific and shameful what has happened in #JNU , The people responsible for these must be punished."

India's doubles specialist shuttler Jwala Gutta also tweeted a couple of times.

"Are we all gonna be still quiet?? Watch this happen to our students?? Why the guilty ones weren't caught and charged?? Why were the (sic) escorted out of the university?".