Co- written by Badre Alam Khan, Wakeel Ahmed and Wasim Ahsan
The Delhi Police have forcefully entered Jamia Milia Islamia (JMI) university campus without the any permission of university administration (as the Chief Proctor of Jamia has officially tweeted) and started fired tear gas inside campus and even students studying in the library of JMI. Some students were severely injured. And situations of Jamia and its vicinity are still extremely tense. The Delhi police are mercilessly terrorizing the students and the masses who are protesting against said Bill.
Around 7 pm, videos began to emerge from Jamia Millia Islamia University showing the police fire tear gas shells inside the building. Other videos showed the police beating up the students.
This is our brave Delhi Police. #JamiaProtest pic.twitter.com/V8ANmNvI3X
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) December 15, 2019
Look at this
I have no words to even say anything about this video. I am so proud of these women who bravely have showed that they are not scared of the Police. And Delhi Police is exposed. See how they use their lathi to scare student
Please watch the whole video and listen pic.twitter.com/mCp0CZ741l
— 𝑺𝒑𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒚 (@Spidey_e) December 15, 2019
This is real face of Indian Police.
They used tear gas and force against students of Aligarh Muslim University who were protesting against #CABBill2019 .
Now they are vandalizing bikes and public property. #AligarhMuslimUniversity #JamiaProtest pic.twitter.com/QftIUTSOKl
— Md Asif Khan (@imMAK02) December 15, 2019
Visuals from Aligarh Muslim University.
Security Forces throwing stones and using tear gas on AMU students who were protesting against #CABBill2019 .
From #JamiaMilia to AMU, they are trying to muzzle our voice. #JamiaProtest pic.twitter.com/OatBN8mhL5
— Md Asif Khan (@imMAK02) December 15, 2019
Now listen this Army Veteran.
He is saying that Delhi Police beaten up Mosque Imam when he tried to stop cops from entering into Mosque.
When this Veteran tried to save Imam then cops abused him and thrashed him too.
11/n#JamiaProtest #JamiaMillia pic.twitter.com/X6ZlObOFIQ
— Md Asif Khan (@imMAK02) December 15, 2019
https://twitter.com/manukp/status/1206297245470969856
Waseem Ahmed Khan, Chief Proctor, Jamia Millia Islamia University, told ANI: “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.”
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Several students were injured and taken to hospitals. Some students were detained at Kalkaji Police station, where they were allegedly not allowed to meet lawyers.
The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union called for a protest at 9 pm outside the Delhi Police headquarters to protest the police violence inside Jamia.
News of the incidents at Jamia led to further protests at Aligarh Muslim University in Uttar Pradesh, which led to clashes between students and the police. The police was seen using tear gas as well as water cannons to try and disperse the crowd. Footage from NDTV also showed the police vandalising motorbikes outside the campus.
Students of JMI has been protesting against Amendment Bill (CAB). The Jamia fraternity as a whole like Teachers, students, women and staff and Alumni are standing up for its inclusive legacy by fighting the CAB. While fighting against the CAB, once again the Jamia fraternity have strongly and unitedly condemned and have come forward to save the ‘Idea of India’ which is based on progressive values like, diversity, pluralism, composite culture ( Ganga Jamuni Tahzeeb), secularism, inclusive and humanistic vision of citizenship. Before coming to the mode of protests and struggle, let us understand the concept of Citizenship.
Since the BJP government has passed the Citizenship Amendment Bill, the movement against the Bill broke out spontaneously resonating nation-wide and became a ‘Pan-Indian’ movement. In this respect, against the CAB, the massive protests and agitations are incessantly occurring at various places such as Assam (North East), UP, Kerala, Mumbai, Bengal and Bihar etc. It is vital to note that students have been playing a leading role from JMI, AMU, JNU, DU, and HCU against the CAB
Understanding the concept of citizenship
As theorists of citizenship have argued that the idea of citizenship should be based on civic virtues and democratic values rather than confine to ethnicity, religion, race, gender and others sectarian/primordial identities. The Indian concept of citizenship is also based on the humanistic and democratic values which was emerged during the anti-colonial struggle (It was fought by the Hindus, Muslims and others shoulder to shoulder) and duly enshrined in our secular constitution.
It is unfortunate that the BJP has completely uprooted by passing the CAB, mainly that values which were championed and cherished by the founding fathers like, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr. Ambedkar, Maulana Ali Jauhar, Maulana Azad, and Dr. Zakir Husain. In short, the CAB is a fundamentally antithetical to the basic structure of Indian constitution consisting of equality, justice, fraternity and secularism, freedom and human rights.
Since the Bill has been passed by the Indian Parliament, as a result discontents and anger amongst the masses have spurred out and massive protests, demonstrations, Dharnas, (in the form of civil disobedience and non-violence) across the nation. These protests against the CAB are being largely carried out by the all sections of society irrespective of caste, class, gender and religion. The ongoing protests against the said Bill are now widely acquired the ‘Pan-Indian’ character. Given the intensity and gravity of saddening situations, the international humanitarian organizations including the UNO have also termed this Bill namely the CAB is discriminatory in nature and violates the basic human rights norms and directly targeting Indian Muslims.
The role of the Indian Judiciary
The Judiciary is ultimate the custodian of the Indian constitution. Seeing the volatile and polarizing situations of our country, Indian Judiciary particularly the apex Court should and must take a stern cognizance in this charged situation as soon as possible. Therefore, we as concern citizens of the India strongly appeal to the Supreme Court to immediately intervene and scrape the CAB. The civil society and public intellectuals including the opposition secular political parties now must come forward and stand with Jamia’s students in particular and Muslim masses in general for the sake of communal harmony and peace.
The authors are part of Jamia fraternity.
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