New Delhi: A day after strong crackdown on protesting students of Jamia Millia Islamia in the national capital and Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) in Uttar Pradesh, students across campuses in multiple cities expressed solidarity with their counterparts.
Students from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay and Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai, Hyderabad Central University (HCU) and Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) in Hyderabad and Nadwatul Ulama in Lucknow expressed support to students in the two campuses.
Jadavpur University in Kolkata and IIT Madras also joined in.
The Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the youth wing of CPI(M), also organised a state-wide protest late Sunday to protest against the police action on students.
On Sunday, Jamia students were protesting against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act when the demonstration was allegedly hijacked by some outsiders and the Delhi Police used force, including tear gas shells and batons, to quell the protest.
Late in the evening, after the news broke of police action against Jamia protestors, AMU students came out on the streets. The local police then resorted to lathicharge and lobbing tear gas shells to disperse the students.
In both the cases, the police has been accused of using excessive force.
‘In solidarity’
Hours after the crackdown at Jamia in the national capital, IIT Bombay and TISS students organised a rally in Mumbai to extend support to the protesting students.
Hundreds of students marched on the streets, holding placards that read, “In solidarity with Jamia and AMU” and “TISS stands with JMI”, among others.
HCU and MANUU students in Hyderabad also organised a protest march early Monday. According to reports, MANUU students also decided to boycott their exams to show solidarity.
Several students in Delhi University boycotted exams and held a protest outside the Arts Faculty in North Campus to express solidarity with Jamia. They said they would gather at India Gate on Monday evening.
Also read: ‘For India’s sake stop this brutality’ — politicians speak up in support of Jamia students
Angry demonstrations could be seen at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in Varanasi too.
“Crackdown is a very small word to be used for what happened in Jamia yesterday. This is clear hooliganism. Videos of policemen smashing bikes and beating students are all over social media. The government must fix accountability for this,” a PTI report quoted a PhD student at BHU as saying.
Ridhima Dua, a Jadavpur University student in Kolkata, asked how teargas could be used inside the closed campus.
“If I am molested on a street and go to police to file a complaint I will be told about norms. Where are the norms now? How can teargas be used inside a closed compound? How can policemen just barge into the university without any permission from vice chancellor? There has to be a probe in this,” she told PTI.
‘Deeply hurt’
Meanwhile, the Jamia Milia Islamia administration called an emergency meet early Monday, a day after the Central university was rocked by violent protests, to take a decision on the future course of action.
Condemning the police action Sunday, Jamia vice-chancellor Najma Akhtar released a video message Monday expressing “hurt” at the police action.
“I am deeply hurt by the barbarity with which the police treated my students. The police entering the library and lathicharging innocent students who were studying is not acceptable to me,” said Akhtar.
“You are not alone in these difficult times. The entire Jamia community is with you. Don’t be disheartened and don’t believe in rumours. At Jamia we stand united and we will remain united,” she added.
She also told her students that she will raise the issue at the “highest level”.
The move came days after the university advanced the winter vacations after a separate protest on the same issue was organised on campus on 13 December.
‘Difficult to identify’
Coming in under severe criticism for its alleged heavy-handed action Sunday, the Delhi Police defended itself saying it entered the Jamia campus while chasing miscreants.
“The protesters got mixed up with students and it became difficult for us to identify them,” a police officer told ThePrint Sunday.
“The protest was peaceful till 3:30 pm and Delhi Police was cooperating with the protesters. It was only after some anti-social elements entered the protest and set vehicles afire, that things turned ugly,” Delhi Police PRO Mandeep Singh Randhawa said in a statement.
Following the clashes, the police has registered two cases of rioting and arson and are likely to make arrests Monday.
Meanwhile, the 50 Jamia students who were detained across city police stations were released in the early hours of the day.
Also read: Religion, not religious persecution: Why amended Citizenship Act is clearly unconstitutional
The students are showing herd mentality. From the article, it is clear that few if any, have understood the issues. They are egged on by the fronts of political parties. Even stupid protest is OK, but not violence in the name of protest.
Finally the youth is waking up to the dangers of Shah-induced polarization. Modi managed to keep the focus on promises of development but Shah, less polished and thinking himself more street-smart, tried to mess too early with too many fundamentals of our constitution. Chatra Ekta Jindabad! Jai Hind!
This is not a case of mistaken identity, the Delhi police works under the Centre and hence orders were given from the highest level, space was created to terrorize the students to shut their mouths and keep silent. Bravo students today faced the hardship and now its time for accountability, Moreover the President of India should take note of the happenings and refrain in signing important bills that may face opposition from the masses. Its simply not about droping the Muslims from the Citizen’s Amendment Bill, rather its about creating an atmosphere of fear among the minorities who are at the receiving end since Independence of our secular nation. Do we need this bill now when the country is facing a huge economic crises and needs Govt and people participation to solve it. The effect of Demonitization and GST has already paralyzed the businesses in India and such acts will further role back the economy into a corner difficult to come out. I am surprised that India after 70 years of its freedom still is govern and rule on religious sentiments when developed countries has repelled it way back to work hard to attain the magnate of economy. Best example is England who houses multi-ethnic societies from around the world and became a Business Hub. Unless we comes out of our traditional approach to issues we face daily, we may not touch the Trillion Dollars economy targeted by our PM.
i believe India terrible failed in learning any lesson from Pakistan. This man is bringing down India brick by brick what was built in centuries. India has always been a Secular country, for thousands of years, it is in its people’s DNA and this man is trying to remove it. It cannot happen and It will not happen. Please Learn from us Pakistanis on how we are being used in the name of religion and have effectively created a hell on earth named Pakistan today….be wise and back off from changing the Indian constitution.
In a documentary on Pervez Musharraf, the host who herself grew up in Pakistan made a very interesting comment, Pakistan has hardly none of what India now has a substantial size of – industrial middle class, tied to a fully functioning economy with mortgages, car loans, and aspirations. That by itself should stop the slow conversion of India to another Pakistan.
IT IS A WELCOME DEVELOPMENT
Do you mean the lefty fringe elements at these places are supporting their lefty brethren elsewhere?
THE STAGES TO GENOCIDE – THE POLIC MENTALLY HAVE BEEN INDOCTRINATED FOR MURDER
The Police brutal attack on the students of Jamia was pre planned as it was vicious.
Intended to put fear into the bones of the untermensch, the Muslims.
The orders came from top, the communal police force was unleashed on indian Muslims who for years had been dehumanised. The police carried out the attack as if they were beating sub humans, the even fired tear gas indoors into a Libarary.
If the police were ordered to murder these students they would have done so readily.
A Spark could start of the mass killings of Muslims like in Rawanda.
Kindly google ”the ten stages of genocide” you will learn the Muslims in India are in grave danger.
And how the majority population has been prepared by the RSS to carry out this genocide
The best antidote to genocide is popular education and the development of social and cultural tolerance for diversity”