Many people gathered outside the old Delhi Police Headquarters, including senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid and CPI General Secretary D Raja to protest against Jamia crackdown by dehli police. Students from all across Delhi joined the agitation, with Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union giving a call for overnight stir. The protesters raised anti-police slogans outside the headquarters in ITO area.
On Sunday three Delhi Transport Corporation buses were torched in south Delhi, following which hundreds of police officers entered Jamia Millia Islamia University to “chase some outsiders who had indulged in vandalism”.
The police used batons and teargas shells to disperse the violent mob and entered the Jamia university campus, detaining several persons allegedly involved in the violence.
Escorted by police, some youths could be seen coming out of their hostels with their hands raised. Some of them claimed the police also entered the library and “harassed” the students.
Sources said that at least 40 people were injured in the clashes and were taken to a nearby hospital. Father George PA, director of Holy Family Hospital, said, We received university students and also two police personnel who suffered injuries, bruises. Most of them have been discharged now.” He said that three-four persons, including two police personnel, were admitted to the hospital. “They have got injures on head, maybe due to stone pelting. None of them are critical. We are taking care of them,” he said.
Amia Millia Islamia Chief Proctor Waseem Ahmed Khan claimed that the Delhi Police entered the campus forcibly without any permission and beat up staff members and students who were forced to leave the campus. Condemning the police action, university vice chancellor Najma Akhtar said students who were inside the library have been taken out and are safe.
Police said they entered the university campus only to control the situation, after protesters indulged in the violence. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Chinmoy Biswal said four buses and two police vehicles were torched during the protest, and six policemen were injured. He said stones were pelted from inside the university campus at police personnel, forcing them to use teargas to disperse the “violent mob”. Biswal said some people have been detained but did not give details.
In the wake of violence during protests against the amended Citizenship Act in south Delhi, DMRC closed gates of several metro stations, including GTB Nagar, Shivaji Stadium, Patel Chowk and Vishwavidyalaya, on Sunday evening for several hours.
