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COLUMN
How students fathered
a protest movement
The causes for which they have risked their career include the
ASIAN DRAMA demand for repealing the CAA, scrapping the idea of NRC and
SYED abandoning the move for the NPR
NOORUZZAMAN
igher education centres in keep quiet over the move to change
India have been hogging the basic and secular character of the
The columnist — former media headlines for some Constitution.
Deputy Editor of The time but mostly for wrong The Jamia authorities claimed that
Tribune, Chandigarh — reasons. Students, instead the police personnel entered the uni-
specialises in foreign H of being in classrooms, are versity campus without their permis-
affairs. With a career on the road, protesting against fee hike sion, which led to condemnation from
spanning 41 years, he and police highhandedness to stifle the different sections of society. The police
keeps close watch on voice of dissent being raised on univer- did not spare even those in the campus
issues related to South sity campuses across the country. mosque, including the imam, the man
Asian countries. The The causes for which they have who leads daily prayers.
views expressed are risked their career include the demand The Jamia administration described
personal for repealing the Citizenship Amend- the police action as “unprovoked target-
ment Act, scrapping the idea of a Na- ing of innocent students”. There was no
tional Register of Citizens in a country provocation for the police to treat the
where the poor constitute the majority students like criminals. The students de-
of the population and abandoning nied that they indulged in the burning
the move for the National Population of buses and other vehicles. Their denial
Register by introducing controversial was supported by the videos relating to
columns to acquire details about the what happened at Jamia on that fateful
people and their forefathers. December 15 evening. Yet over 125 stu-
If the merciless beating up of stu- dents were arrested.
dents and their teachers by the police at However, the police brutality could
Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University for not dampen the spirit of the students,
protesting against an unusual fee hike who continue to hold their peaceful
had its echo on university campuses protest outside the Jamia campus with
all over the country, a similar dance of the declaration that they will continue
violence and destruction at Jamia Millia their anti-CAA and anti-NRC agitation
Islamia also evoked support from the till the discriminatory law is repealed
student community all over the country and the fanciful NRC idea is dumped in
and many premier universities abroad. the dustbin of history.
It first began with police personnel Surprisingly, no FIR was lodged
mercilessly beating up protesting Jamia in this connection against any police
Millia Islamia students on December official till January 15 though the police
15, 2019. Their crime was they had action occurred on marching students
raised slogans against the controversial and those at the campus on December
Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 15 evening. On January 13 when over 100
considered discriminatory against students gheraoed the office of Vice-
Muslims. Even those in the main library Chancellor Najma Akhtar, she assured
building, busy with reading books, them that the university administration
were not spared. The police first burst would approach the court to get an FIR
tear gas shells and then rained lathis registered against the police “brutality”.
on innocent students to force them to Interestingly, while the police lathi-
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