Over 10,000 academics, scholars, teachers, students and members of civil society have signed a statement condemning the police brutality on the students of Jamia Millia Islamia University who were protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
The statement also condemns the “ongoing illegal siege and curfew imposed on Aligarh Muslim University”. AMU students protested in solidarity with the students of Jamia and against the police crackdown on Sunday.
Romila Thapar, Noam Chomsky, Judith Butler, Nivedita Menon, Partha Chatterjee, Tanika Sarkar are among the signatories.
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“On 15 December 2019 Delhi police in riot-gear illegally entered the Jamia Millia campus and attacked students who are peacefully protesting the Citizenship Amendment Act. The Act bars Muslims from India’s neighboring countries from the acquisition of Indian citizenship. It contravenes the right to equality and secular citizenship enshrined in the Indian constitution,” the statement reads.
It goes on to say that over 200 students have been severely injured, many
of whom are in critical condition.
The peaceful demonstration and gathering of citizens does not constitute criminal conduct, it reads, and the police action in the Jamia Millia Islamia and AMU campuses is “blatantly illegal” under the constitution of India.
“The brutalization of students and the attack on universities is against the fundamental norms of a democratic society. As teachers, students, scholars and members of civil society across the world, we are watching with extreme concern the situation unfolding at Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim
University.”
Protests have erupted in several universities across India against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the police crackdown on students. Students of Delhi University, Madras University, Banaras Hindu University, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), among others, have agitated against the new law and in solidarity with the students of Jamia.