Protesters, police clash at Jamia
Hundreds of Jamia Millia students and residents of Jamia Nagar, on Monday, were allegedly beaten by the police after they refused to end their protest and insisted on carrying an anti-CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) march towards Parliament.
Despite repeated appeals from the police and the varsity administration, the protesters refused to end their agitation, which started following a call by the Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC), an organisation of Jamia students and alumni.
The protesters, including several women, began their march from Jamia’s gate no. 7 around noon amid heavy deployment of security personnel in and around the university.
The altercation intensified by 6 pm as the students refused to budge and a group of protesters gheraoed the Sukhdev Vihar police station. Some protesters jumped over barricades as the police, in riot gear, thrashed them.
As the number of people joining the protest swelled by the evening, the Sukhdev Vihar Metro station near the university was closed.
Men formed a human chain on either side of the road as women walked ahead, waving the tricolour and raising slogans of “Halla Bol.”
Despite repeated appeals from the police and the varsity authorities, the protesters refused to end their agitation. They raised slogans like “kagaz nahi dikhayenge” (we will not show documents) and “jab nahi dare hum goron se toh kyun dare hum auron se” (When we did not fear the British, why should we fear others).
“It has been two months since we are protesting. No one from the government has come to talk to us. So we want to go to talk to them,” said Zeba Anhad, a protester.
Jamia Millia Islamia proctor Waseem Ahmed Khan appealed to the students to disperse and not meddle with the police. “The message has been sent. I request students in the crowd to go back to the university,” he urged.