Several AMU Students Injured in Police ‘Violence’, Hostels Being Vacated

New Delhi: Hostels in Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) were being vacated following student-police clashes on Sunday night after a protest march by students in the campus to express solidarity with their counterparts in Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia who faced a brutal police crackdown.

In AMU, too, the protest turned violent on Sunday night after police entered the campus and hostels, fired teargas shells and baton-charged students, even in the reading room. The violence left at least 100 students reportedly severely injured, who were being treated at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College.

Sources said students claimed they had been peacefully protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the earlier Bill since December 8. Eyewitnesses, who did not wish to be named, said the AMU administration, including the proctor, failed to protect the students and allegedly allowed the police and Rapid Action Force inside the campus/hostels to repress the students.

Speaking with NewsClick, Md Arsalan, a research scholar at AMU’s Mass Communication Department and an eyewitness, recalled the turn of events leading to brutal police action.

"It was just a normal day like any other day. On Sunday, senior students called a general body meeting at university's library canteen against the brutal crackdown on Jamia students in Delhi. During the GBM, it was decided to organise a peaceful march from the canteen to the iconic Bab-E-Syed Gate. Former AMUSU president Salman Imtiaz and vice-president Hamza Sufiyan were also present there. When a huge number of students started marching towards the main gate, the police, along with the RAF, was already there. The students asked police officials to allow them to go to the university circle, which the police disallowed,” adding that “there was no scuffle between students and police till then.” He said it was only later, when the students forced their way ahead to carry out their protest, that the police used teargas, rubber bullets and water cannons to disperse them.

Arsalan claimed that over 100 students were injured and a few among them were in a critical condition. "One student, Tarique, lost his palm after the police used teargas shells. He is in very critical condition and doctors are trying their best to save him," he added.

Another student, Hameed, a resident of Sir Syed Hall (North), told Newsclick, "I was neither a part of the protest nor any movement. I was chatting with my friends in front of my hostel. Suddenly, I saw forces coming towards me and one of them fired shells in Morrison Court Hostel. Video footage also showed the police vandalising motorbikes outside the campus."

Former AMU students' union president Maskoor Ahmad Usmani said the university administration was nowhere to be seen when the police were seen firing. It was as if they were fighting enemies at the border, he added. Now, the university administration is forcefully vacating hostels, which is completely illegal, he added.

Meanwhile, the AMU’s Teachers’ Association is said to have expressed grave concern over the “disappearance” of some of their students.

According to a sources, some students are neither in hostels nor in since the police crackdown on Sunday night. An AMU teacher told Newsclick that a formal resolution on the incident by the association would be out soon.

AMU SHUT DOWN TILL JANUARY 5

The university has been shut down till January 5 after violence erupted on Sunday night.

Commenting over the sequence of events, AMU Proctor Afifullah Khan told Newsclick, "The students broke the Bab-e-Syed gate and the came out of the main gate and pelted stones. There was ruckus created by the students. In order to keep them inside the gate, police took action and after it was not controlled, the police entered inside the premises and tried to disperse them."

When questioned on whether police were permitted to enter the campus, Khan said, "Yes. The Vice-Chancellor allowed them because there were some lumpen elements who were not students of AMU and were trying to create a ruckus.”

When asked if it was true that police personnel ( as seen in a video) used teargas shells in hostels, Khan added, "They used teargas and water cannon. I have no idea that a room has been broken and caught fire due to shells, but the police did use these.

The AMU proctor said: "The university is closed from yesterday December 15 till January 5. This step is being taken due to disturbances and as a precautionary measure. Arrangements are being made for students to go back home after the university was closed for winter vacation."

Responding to the proctor's accusation that students started pelting stones which aggravated the situation, Asim Raza Khan, a student who was part of the protest, told Newsclick, "The proctor is lying. From library canteen to Bab-e-Syed is 300 meters. We reached there peacefully but when we reached the main gate, a few police personnel threw sticks and pelted stones at us. A small clash took place between police and students,” he said, adding that the situation could have been controlled by the Registrar, but instead the forces were allowed to enter the campus premises."

On Monday, more than 80% students had vacated the hostel and rest were expected to do so soon.

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh police chief OP Singh also confirmed that AMU campus would be evacuated on Monday and all students would be sent home.

Furthermore, several districts of Western Uttar Pradesh —Aligarh, Saharanpur, Moradabad, Meerut, Bareilly— were put on alert apprehending law and order trouble. Reports also said that Section 144 had been imposed in six districts to prevent assembly of more than four people.