NEW DELHI — Hundreds of students from various organisations on Sunday marked the sixth anniversary of the brutal police crackdown on Jamia Millia Islamia students, including dozens of girls, in the national capital. The students condemned the December 15, 2019 police action wherein scores of youth sustained life-threatening injuries as they were peacefully protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
The protest on the campus was held amid heavy police deployment and rigorous identity check of the students.
The protesting students recalled that six years ago, Delhi police along with paramilitary forces entered Zakir Hussain Library on the Jamia campus and mercilessly beat up the gathered students.
The protesters demanded immediate release of student activists who are still imprisoned “for being the voice of justice.” They also demanded monetary compensation to the victims whose careers and lives were very badly affected due to the 2019 incident.
Addressing the gathering, Nausheen Farooque, General Secretary of the Fraternity Movement (JMI), said the way the state government used police to crush the voice of dissent caused serious physical and mental distress to students. “One student even lost his eyesight. Politicians provided only promises to the affected students but till today they could not get justice or any sort of compensation,” he said.
As night fell, the day-long activity came to an end with songs and slogans lauding the students’ fight against injustice. They also resolved not to stay silent against the unlawful actions of the government.
