Jamia Millia Islamia University Students

New Delhi

HRDA has issued an urgent appeal to the National Human Rights Commission of India on December 16, 2019, regarding the students of Jamia Millia Islamia University in Delhi who were brutally beaten on December 15, 2019 when they organised a peaceful protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). As many as 50 students were detained during these protests and several injured, including women.

The protest took place on December 15, 2019, inside and outside the Jamia Millia Islamia University and became intensified as the Delhi Police entered the university to take control of the situation, for which they blocked the entry and exit gates of the university, fired tear gas shells, lathi-charged protestors including students and rounded scores of them. The police

entered the reading halls and campus mosque inside the university, as well as bathrooms and libraries. Dozens of students were injured in police action. Students and their supporters have posted several videos of policemen beating up protesters and the action inside Jamia library, with one of the videos showing a group of girl students trying to save their friend from being beaten up by policemen by forming a human shield.

As a response to this police brutality, on December 15, 2019, in the evening thousands of people gathered outside the Delhi Police headquarters and shouted police “sharam karo (have shame).” Further, Jamia Millia Islamia Vice-Chancellor Najma Akhtar has demanded a high-level inquiry into the crackdown on university students. She shared in a press conference “police entered the campus on December 15, 2019 night without permission,” and added “assaulting students who were studying in the library is unacceptable. The university property was damaged, who will pay for this loss. More than that this is taken an emotional toll on the students”. On December 16, 2019 Jamia students came back on the streets to demand action against Delhi Police over the violence on campus on 15 December, 2019 night.