Web Report
More than 100 activists protesting against a new Indian citizenship law were injured in New Delhi on Sunday as they clashed with police who used tear gas and baton charges to disperse demonstrators at a major university.
Thousands, including students at the Jamia Millia Islamia University, protested against a new law that will give citizenship to non-Muslims fleeing religious persecution from several neighbouring countries. The third day of what had been a peaceful demonstration against the law, passed by India’s Parliament last week, descended into chaos on Sunday afternoon. Three buses were set on fire, police officials said.
Chinmoy Biswal, a top police official, said that six police personnel were injured in the melee in an upscale enclave of south Delhi.
“We have time and again maintained that our protests are peaceful and non-violent,” they said in a statement. “We stand by this approach and condemn any party involved in the violence.”
At Jamia Millia Islamia University in Delhi, where slogans such as “#SecularIndia” were graffitied on buildings, many students said that the police fired tear gas inside the university’s library and beat up protesters before sealing all campus gates.
“We were treated like criminals. Scores were injured and I escaped from the campus to save my life,” said student Tufail Ahmad.
Outside campus, the area around Delhi’s Jamia Nagar, a predominantly Muslim area, was deserted with shops and houses latched tight after the violent protests.
A trail of stones that video footage showed protesters pelted earlier in the day at police lay with debris of broken glass and splatters of blood.
Videos shared from students streaming past a police perimeter surrounding the campus showed scenes of chaos in the university library with police firing tear gas and students huddled under tables and locked inside bathrooms.
“Police have entered the campus by force, no permission was given. Our staff and students are being beaten up and forced to leave the campus,” said Waseem Ahmed Khan, a top official of Jamia Millia Islamia University.
Many of the injured students were taken to nearby hospitals, including Holy Family, where about 26 students were treated, according to Father George, the hospital’s spokesman.
“The police beat me mercilessly after pinning me down to the ground. My other friends weren’t spared either,” said Mujeeb Raza, a student who was being treated at the nearby Al-Shifa hospital.
Local authorities ordered all schools in southeast Delhi to remain closed on Monday. Jamia Millia university had already said, on Saturday, that it was closing early for the winter break. The Aligarh Muslim University in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh announced that it was shutting early for the break after student protesters clashed with police on Sunday.
Hundreds of activists gathered outside the New Delhi police headquarters on Sunday night to protest against alleged police brutality and the detention of students.
Jamia Millia Islamia Vice Chancellor Nazma Akhtar released a video message for students, reported India Today on Monday, in which she said she stands in solidarity with them. She also said she will take up the issue of police forcing their way into the university with authorities at the highest level soon.
India Today quoting police said that as many as 50 students, who were detained during the protests on Sunday, were released in the early hours of Monday.
