Opposition for judicial probe into police brutalities in Jamia

Opposition for judicial probe into police brutalities in Jamia

FPJ BureauUpdated: Monday, December 16, 2019, 11:04 PM IST
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Rajya Sabha Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad |

New Delhi: Half a dozen political parties led by the Congress on Monday condemned the police entering the Jamia Millia Islamia university on Sunday and demanded a judicial probe by a Supreme Court judge into its brutality on the students in library and even washrooms.

Rajya Sabha Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechuri and CPI's D Raja told a press conference here that the agitations have broken out across the country because of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) brought by the Modi government and its adamant conduct in refusing to heed to the people's protest.

Azad said most of the opposition leaders were not in Delhi and hence whosoever attended the meeting and other opposition parties were equally concerned since all had opposed the Bill brought in violation of the Constitution. The Opposition parties have also sought an appointment with President Ramnath Kovind since Jamia is a central university under him.

Delhi Police spokesman MS Randhawa evaded questions on the police beating up the students in the library and other places, claiming that the police had entered the university campus to remove the rioters who had entered to escape the arrests. He said some students were also arrested along with the rioters but they were let off on Sunday night itself after identification.

The situation was peaceful in the campus on Monday but tension prevailed in the surrounding Muslim localities as police was hunting for those wanted for the violence on Sunday.

Jamia Millia Islamia Vice-Chancellor Najma Akhtar and Registrar AP Siddiqui held a press conference on Monday to demand a high-level inquiry into the crackdown on the students, noting that the police had entered the campus without permission. "We will not tolerate police presence on campus. They scared out students with brutalities," the vice-chancellor said.

She said: We will file FIR on the damage of property and police action on students. I will also present facts to the Union HRD Minister."

The Jamia students had participated in a peaceful demonstration on Friday against the CAA, but they were not at all involved in the violence Sunday afternoon. They said the violence had taken place three km away from the campus.

Noting that Delhi Police is under the Centre and not Delhi government, the opposition leaders condemned Home Minister Amit Shah uttering not a word on its barbaric act. Yechuri stressed that the protests going on across the country should not be projected as a Hindus versus Muslims issue as people of all religions have come together to protest CAA as anti-Constitution and anti-democracy.

They sought to know under whose orders the police let loose violence in the Jamia campus as the government cannot suppress the right to protest as it was a democratic right. They are for peaceful protest and hence they agreed with the Supreme Court not taking up the case until violence ends.

The leaders said they would take forward the movement across the country to explain to people the damage that the Modi government wants to inflict on the country by trying to divide the people through CAA and the national register of citizens.

Congress leader and lawyer Kapil Sibal said the fact that the riots are taking place because of the government decision is very dangerous as it shows that the nation is against the government. He said the Opposition's prime concern is how to save the nation from the BJP to destroy the country.

Meanwhile, scared after the Delhi Police action in the campus, the students have vacated the hostels on Monday and moved to their homes.

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