Jamia violence: 10 arrested, none of them are students
Two days after Jamia Millia Islamia University witnessed a never-seen-before clash between cops and students, Delhi Police arrested 10 people in connection to the violence. Of ten arrested, three have criminal backgrounds, deputy commissioner of police (southeast) Chinmoy Biswal told HT. It's worth noting that none of the arrested men are students of Jamia, but police said they haven't been given a clean chit.
Backstory: Cops stormed into university, beat and detained students
On Sunday, students of Jamia took out a march against the newly-implemented Citizenship Act. However, after vehicles were torched and public property damaged, cops stormed into the university, thrashed students, and used tear gas. 50 students were detained, and later released on Monday morning. The crackdown was condemned by Jamia's Vice-Chancellor Najma Akhtar, who assured students they weren't alone and demanded a high-level inquiry.
Arrested men instigated crowd, will be sent to crime branch
As per reports, the ten men were arrested between Monday night and Tuesday morning. Biswal said the perpetrators were identified using CCTV footage. Separately, Delhi Police spokesperson MS Randhawa told Indian Express that they will be handed over to the crime branch. "Investigation has so far revealed that arrested men had instigated the crowds and also vandalized public property," he said.
Facing criticism for assaulting students, Delhi Police defended itself
The excessive use of force by cops earned them criticism from all quarters. But they defended their action saying the only intention was to control the unruly mob. "Our only interest is to push the mob back, so law and order can be restored in the area. We have no problem with university (Jamia Millia Islamia University) students," Biswal had told ANI earlier.
Meanwhile, bullet injury claims will also be investigated
Separately, a probe is likely to be launched into allegations that two Jamia students, namely 20-year-old Ajaz Ahmad and 23-year-old Mohammed Suhaib, suffered bullet injuries. Both are recuperating at Safdarjung Hospital. Apparently, one of them was shot at the chest and another one at the leg. While cops have denied firing bullets, sources said, "Police are likely to approach ballistic experts for more clarity."
Thrashed by cops, Jamia students got support from other universities
Whatever happened in Jamia sparked immense outrage across the nation, with students from various universities taking to the streets. When students of Aligarh Muslim University tried to express solidarity, even they were manhandled by police. Nearly 60 people were injured prompting the administration to shut the varsity till January 5. Similar agitations dotted institutes like IIT-Bombay, IIT-Madras, Loyola College, and IISc yesterday.
