Jamia Violence Probe At Crucial Stage, Centre Tells Delhi High Court As It Seeks More Time

The Centre on Tuesday told Delhi High Court that the investigation into the incident of violence at Jamia Millia Islamia during an anti-citizenship law protest was at a crucial stage. The submission before a bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar was made by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta while seeking more time to file a report regarding the probe.

Jamia Millia Islamia students and locals had protested at Jamia Nagar in Delhi on December 15, 2019 against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. Protesters allegedly torched four buses and two police vehicles as they clashed with the police in New Friends Colony. Delhi Police baton charged the protesters and used tear gas shells to disperse the mob before entering the varsity campus, detaining several persons allegedly involved in the violence.

During the hearing, senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for some students of Jamia, said 93 students and teachers filed complaints about alleged attacks on them by police but no FIR has been filed against the agency till date.

The other lawyers for the petitioners alleged that the government has not complied with the court order to file a response within four weeks of the last date of hearing on December 19.

The bench, however, declined to pass any interim order and granted time till April 29 to the government to file a reply.

Protests in Jamia erupted after the Narendra Modi government passed the contentious legislation in Parliament on December 11. Two days later, President Ram Nath Kovind gave assent and making it a law on December 13. The Citizenship Act grants Indian nationality to Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jains, Parsis and Sikhs who fled Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan in half the time of other groups if they can argue they suffered religious discrimination in their country of origin.