New Delhi, The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Wednesday witnessed protests over the alleged police brutality against students of the Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University protesting against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
The students took out a ‘Masaal Juloos’ on the varsity campus and raised slogans against the Narendra Modi-led Central government over the CAA and the NRC.
The protest march was also attended by former JNUSU President and CPI leader Kanhaiya Kumar. Students holding torches raised slogans like “Hai Jaan Se Pyaara Hindustan, Pyaara Pyaara Hindustan, Zindadil hai Hindustan, Protest Karega Hindustan, Nahi Jhukega Hindustan, Arey Gandhi Waala Hindustan… (India will not cow down, India will protest, India of Mahatma Gandhi will protest…)”
The protest was also attended by student leaders like Umar Khalid of United Against Hate (UAH), and Maksoor Usmani and Ahmad Mujtaba from the AMU.
Addressing the crowd, Usmani said: “It is the large crowd that I expected. I want to tell you that I am an Indian Muslim and I speak this with pride.”
Referring to the police actions on the students at the Jamia and AMU, Usmani said: “The way in which students were lathi charged by the police, I who was a doctor has started studying law.”
Usmani also told the crowd about Article 10, 14,15,21 and NRC and CAA. “This fight is to save the Constitution,” Usmani added.
He also asserted that the government was acting as the students were at border because the voice which Jamia, JNU and AMU raise shakes this government.
Talking about the police actions on the AMU students, Usmani said “a student lost his hand due to the police brutality in AMU”.
He also dared Home Minister Amit Shah and said that the Muslims and citizens of India are not fearing anyone, and “you fear it and because of this you cancelled your recent trip to the northeastern states.”
JNUSU Vice President Saket Moon said: “You cannot elect another people, the people can dissolve you and elect another leader.
Moon also asserted that the CAA brought by the BJP government is a fraud and “we should not fear this”.
Slamming the Delhi Police for beating the Jamia students, he said: “Police enter hostel and then say we don’t know who shot them. Will students shoot them self?”
Addressing the students, Khalid hailed the students for raising the voice against NRC and the CAA.
Slamming the BJP government, he said: “In May 2014, Narendra Modi took oath as Prime Minister, but we shall remember that in 2003 on the same day a Gujarat High Court judgment came where Muslims were convicted.”
He also referred to clash with the government three years ago and said, “When in 2016, they came against JNU and us, we fought against them and will keep fighting against them in 2019 and later.”
“They wanted to make the whole society against the JNU and its students by spreading wrong words about it,” he said.
He said the police action on students across the country has bridged the gap between the University and the society.
He also said that the government can do anything but students will fight against all its false narrative and wrongdoings.
He also congratulated the JNU Students Union for fighting against the Vice Chancellor of the varsity and said: “Earlier they wanted to shut JNU and now they want to make it a WhatsApp university.”
Speaking about NRC, he said, “They want to bring NRC on the hard earned money taxpayers throw the citizens out of the country.”
He said: “If NRC is implemented in the whole nation, crores of rupees will go in making people stand in queues to prove their citizenship.”
Khalid thanked Bhim Rao Ambedkar for writing an equal and secular Constitution. “It’s important to remember him and other freedom fighters as the Constitutional integrity is in danger. The promise which was made to the Muslims of India at the time of partition, is it really being fulfilled?” Khalid asked.
“Let’s boycott this (NRC), no one should go and deposit their documents,” Khalid appealed.
The students were protesting against the alleged police brutality against students at the Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University on Sunday.
The protest by Jamia students took a violent turn after many protesters torched several buses in the national capital. Following the violence, Delhi Police resorted to lathi charge and also fired tear gas shells inside the Jamia library in which several students were injured.
The students are demanding the roll back of the CAA and the NRC.
