Police violated protocol: Report of fact-finding team on AMU violence

NEW DELHI: A fact-finding team of lawyers and rights activists, the People’s Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR), on Thursday released a report on police action at the Aligarh Muslim University during the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens on December 15.

The report of the team, comprising activists Yogendra Yadav, Harsh Mander, Kavita Krishnan and Riad Azam, among others , said that while attacking the students, police used “religiously charged terms” , called the students terrorists and chanted slogans such as “Jai Shri Ram”. While releasing the report, Mander said the police “violated protocols” at the AMU campus.

The report, which is prepared on the basis of field visits, accounts of the injured students and witnesses, videos and audios of the incident, however, stated that no bullet injury had been reported from AMU.

It alleged that the university administration “forced” students out of the hostels and threatened to disconnect water and power supplies if they did not move out.

AMU students were opposing CAA through peaceful protests on the campus. On December 15, a peaceful protest was held and a memorandum was handed over at the Bab-e-Syed gate of AMU. However, after rumours that students were targeted by police at the Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi spread, the situation turned violent. The police fired tear gas shells and used water cannons. Officials alleged that students had pelted them with stones.