Citizenship 'Chaos': Jamia Crackdown Triggers Massive Protests In Hyderabad, Varanasi, Jadavpur

Jamia Millia Islamia, the prestigious Central University, became the epicentre of Delhi Police’s brutal crackdown against Citizenship Act protesters on Sunday. While situation remains calm-yet-tense in this posh south Delhi locality, the police action has triggered massive protests by students across India. From Kolkata’s Jadavpur University to Hyderabad’s Maulana Azad National Urdu University, students have begun their agitation against the authorities. Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) students' union wrote to controller of examination of university, stating 'due to protests by MANUU students against police's attack on Jamia and AMU students, MANUU students are boycotting exams, request you to postpone the same.' While the Delhi Police maintains that the action was needed to curb the violence as stones were being pelted on them from inside the university, the students claimed that tear gas was lobbed inside the Jamia’s central library and some of them were dragged, thrashed by the cops.

Students across India’s top universities are protesting against police aggression shown to their peers in Jamia. From candlelight vigils to marches, students in Hyderabad, Varanasi and Jadavpur are showing solidarity for ‘their friends in Jamia’. Meanwhile, students of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences have also decided to boycott the Monday classes over the police action. “In the lights of events of relentless police brutality in the past week in universities of north East India, Jamia Milia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University We the students of TISS have decided to call a boycott of today's classes and field work,” a statement by TISS students said.

In UP’s Aligarh, the Aligarh Muslim University administration on Sunday night announced that the institution will remain closed till January 5 after clashes broke out between police and students protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act near the campus gate. Meanwhile, has been suspended for the next 24 hours till 10 pm December 16 following the clashes. “The university is closed from today (15/12/2019) till 05/01/2020. This is being done due to disturbances created by some antisocial elements for the last three days,” AMU Registrar Abdul Hamid said. The announcement came after hundreds of AMU students protesting against the amended legislation clashed with police which used batons and teargas to disperse them.