In a tight spot

The CCTV footage released by Jamia students over the police brutality that took place on December 15 inside the Jamia Milia Islamia University calls for a thorough investigation. Amidst the furore over the anti-caa protests, students had alleged police brutality inside the university library. Previous footages from students had cited police beating students with lathis as a horrifying environment prevailed over the campus. With no FIR registered despite student demands, the recently released footage that has gone viral calls for a fresh look at the case. The footage has a time-stamp and shows police armed in riot gear entering the library and indifferently beating unarmed students with lathis. The university administration has distanced itself from the group that released the footage albeit it did confirm the place in the footage to be university’s Old Reading Hall (M Phil Section). While the video will have to be verified, it does not appear to be doctored. The footage should pave way for a more serious investigation into the incident that rocked the university and students. Failure of an FIR is in itself a serious concern. The shocking images of police brutality also blemish the police’s credibility which is at stake again. If police enquiry is still lackadaisical, the case may require a courtmonitored enquiry to unravel the ground reality. The investigation is important as it not only will bring back the sense of security for students who were horrified in the aftermath of the December 15 incident but also help the Home Ministry punish the lawless cops who lathi-charged innocent students. There is no difference between left between police and goons if the former starts acting arbitrarily. The police must get to the truth of the incident and address the public over the same as the horrifying video only makes their credibility take a steep fall. No action or investigation would set a dangerous precedent wherein there would be no accountability of police brutality. This is not an autocratic state and police has no right to hit students. Expedited investigation and punishment for the lawless cops will remedy the perilous trend of police arbitrariness. The video has definitely put the police in a tight spot.