At police headquarters, 500 protesters allege ‘inaction’
NEW DELHI: At least 500 students and alumni from universities in Delhi protested outside the old Delhi Police headquarters at ITO on Sunday night after the attacks at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). They claimed the police did not act promptly in stopping the attacks. The protests forced the closure of a carriage way on Indraprastha Marg. Protesters were largely students and teachers from Jamia Milia Islamia, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Delhi University.
“Police and administration are acting on the orders of the government. Civilians, including ABVP students, had also gathered outside JNU. We want the police commissioner to come and assure us of an FIR. No one apart from JNU students have been injured,” said Bhupinder Chaudhry, associate professor of History, Delhi University.
Protesters also alleged that police in plainclothes also assaulted students inside the JNU campus and demanded immediate registration of an FIR into the incident. They also raised slogans against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
“What happened in JNU today is shameful. Until an FIR is registered against those who indulged in violence, we will wait, and stay outside the police headquarters, all night” said one of the protestors, Waqar Azam, a former research associate from the Jamia Milia Islamia.
Azam said that at least 300 students from Jamia arrived at ITO to join the agitation, which was called for 9pm.
“We had called the gathering. We demand an FIR be filed and arrests of those who indulged in violence. Many JNU students have been injured badly. This is a recap of what happened in Jamia,” he said.
On December 15, police entered the Jamia Millia Islamia campus and assaulted students after protests against the CAA by locals outside the campus had turned violent.
The crowd that had gathered on Sunday night at ITO raised slogans against the police.
Masud Ahmed, a final year MA student from Jamia alleged that ABVP goons and police together thrashed students in JNU. “Videos of people in civil dresses beating up students were circulated. Some students went to police station but the police are not registering FIR. We want arrests. Most of people here are from Jamia as we called the protest in solidarity with JNU and to raise voice against what happened. People from DU and JNU are also here,” he said.
With the number of protesters growing, Delhi Police deployed more personnel outside the building. The gates of the headquarter were also barricaded.
CPI (M) leader Brinda Karat and former AAP MLA Alka Lamba also arrived at the protest to support the agitation.