Fresh Protests At Jamia As Students Demand FIR Against Delhi Police

Hundreds of Jamia Millia Islamia students gheraoed Vice Chancellor Najma Akhtar’s office on Monday, demanding registration of an FIR against Delhi Police in connection with last month’s violence on the campus. Among other demands, they also want the university to reschedule examinations and ensure security of students.

The students barged into the office premises after breaking the lock on the main gate and raised slogans against the VC.

They are staging a sit-in outside the office, asking the VC Najma Akhtar to interact with them over issue.

Earlier, the Jamia Millia Islamia had submitted a fresh report to the HRD Ministry requesting judicial inquiry into the entry of police on the university premises last month. The varsity had earlier submitted reports in the matter on December 15-16. In the fresh report submitted to the ministry on December 20, Jamia reiterated its request for initiation of an inquiry committee or a judicial inquiry to the incident.

In its report, the varsity mentioned that police used teargas and lathicharge to disperse protesters gathered on Mathura Road and Julena Road. The police had on December 15 purportedly stormed the library while looking for ‘outsiders’ who were involved in the arson and violence during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protest outside the campus.

While pushing the crowd on this road, the Delhi Police entered inside the campus through Gate Numbers 4 and 7 by “breaking the lock, beating the guards on duty and window and doors of the library, lobbed the teargas shell inside the reading room then forcefully entered inside and beat all the students studying inside the library brutally”, they claimed in the report.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor at Jamia

On Sunday, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor joined hundreds of protestors who are protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act. He said the December 15 police action against the students in Jamia is a "blot on the nation".

"Whatever happened on December 15 is a blot on nation. Without any provocation, without any intimation to the vice chancellor, they (police) entered hostels and attacked women students. Students studying in library were attacked, which is a 'shame, shame, shame' and not acceptable at all," he told the crowd.

Attacking the act, the Thiruvananthapuram MP said the Centre's step is discriminatory and an effort to marginalise "one community". "That is why we opposed the introduction of the bill in Parliament, as it brought religion in the Citizenship Act for the first time," he said.