JAMIA MILLIA ISLAMIA
New Delhi, India
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DELHI POLICE BRUTALLY ASSAULTS JMI STUDENTS |
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JAMIA MILLIA ISLAMIA
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Coverage by India's National Newspaper 11 April, 2000
Jamia tense after violent clash By A Staff Reporter NEW DELHI: The campus of Jamia Millia Islamia in south Delhi remained tense on Monday, with angry and edgy students huddled together in small groups amid heavy police presence, a day after scores were injured in a violent clash between students and police. While vice-chancellor Syed Shahid Mahdi, who took over recently, and registrar Anis-ur-Rahman were unwilling to talk to the media, it was announced that the varsity's annual exam papers scheduled to be held from April 10 to April 16 had been postponed. ``The dates for these exams will be announced later. All other papers will be held as per the schedule announced earlier,'' said an official. Though the official explanation given was that the exams had been postponed due to ``the transport strike and intervening holidays'', it was clear that the authorities wanted to take no chances with another flare-up on the campus. The violent fracas between the police and the students took place for nearly two hours on Sunday night. The police said they were trying to arrest two persons accused in a case lodged at the area police station, Rizwan and Mubarak, who had allegedly assaulted a student some time ago. ``We got information in the evening that Mubarak was in the campus. But some students did not allow the police party, which went there, to take Mubarak into custody,'' said an area police official. The students then reportedly blocked the road in protest. ``We had to resort to tear-gasing and a lathicharge when the students began pelting stones at us,'' added the official. Students, however, alleged the lathicharge was ``totally unprovoked'' and policemen entered three hostels - S R Kidwai, Pink House and White House - and ``brutally'' attacked the students. ``They broke doors and thrashed everyone who came in front of them...most of us were peacefully studying inside the hostels. We stoned them because they were mercilessly thrashing people. Why should we not retaliate if they do something like this?'' said an agitated student, Abdullah. Another student, pointing to broken doors and blood-stained walls in the S R Kidwai hostel, claimed the policemen even attacked physically disabled students. ``They even entered the masjid located in the hostel compound,'' he alleged. The police, however, denied all the charges. Mohammed Fauzi, former vice-president of the students union, said the vice-chancellor should ``resign on moral grounds'' since he had ``failed to provide innocent students with adequate security''. The police said around 40 students and seven policemen were injured in the fracas. Students said one of the injured, Azad Ali Shah, a B.Tech (electrical) first-year student, had sustained ``serious head injuries'' and his condition was grievous. The police had also ``detained'' several students after the clash. Many anxious parents were trying to trace the whereabouts of their children on Monday. ``My son, Mohammed Tahir, a second-year student of Bachelor of Business Studies, is missing...I don't know whether he is injured or has been arrested...Jamia officials are not helping at all,'' said Mohammed Sabir, a businessman of Jama Masjid area, waiting outside the vice-chancellor's office on Monday afternoon.
SP to raise Jamia incident in Parliament The Times of India News Service NEW DELHI: The Samajwadi Party will raise in Parliament the issue of ``police high-handedness'' in the Jamia Milia University, according to party general secretary Amar Singh. CPM MP Hannan Mollah and RJD MP Obaidullah Khan Azmi condemned the ``police brutality'' on the campus recently and demanded immediate suspension of the deputy commissioner of police and a judicial inquiry into the incident. These leaders had, on Tuesday, visited the campus where over 100 students were arrested on April 9 on charges of preventing the police from discharging its duties. Amar Singh charged Lt. Governor of Delhi Vijai Kapoor with being ``totally insensitive'' to the plight of the students. He said repeated calls to the LG's office and residence did not yield any results. He, however, said chief minister Sheila Dixit came on the line immediately and expressed sympathy with the students. They demanded that all students detained in Tihar jail be released, the ``false cases'' be withdrawn and the injured students be given proper medical assistance. Stating that the campus was very tense, they said prompt measures should be taken to end the ``atmosphere of terror'' and demanded resignation of the vice chancellor, who they described as ``anti-student''.
Inquiry into Jamia violence ordered By A Staff Reporter NEW DELHI: The Delhi government on Thursday ordered a magisterial inquiry into the recent clash between police and students in Jamia Millia Islamia university. Deputy commissioner (south) Ashwini Kumar has been asked to submit his report within six weeks. Chief minister Sheila Dikshit has charged the police with misguiding her about the violence, in which many students and a few policemen were injured. Dikshit herself visited the Jamia Millia Islamia on Wednesday. She claimed that the police had been repeatedly telling her that no major incident had taken place. UNI adds: Meanwhile, Union home minister L K Advani directed home secretary Kamal Pandey to inquire into the violence and submit a detailed report to him. Advani gave this direction to the home secretary after holding a meeting with a delegation of Jamia students led by Union minister of state for food processing Syed Shahnawaz Hussein. Shahnawaz said following the meeting, instructions were given to the Delhi police not to oppose the bail of students who were arrested and lodged in Tihar jail. Later, all 65 arrested students were let off. Advani, while expressing sadness over the incident, also asked Shahnawaz to go to Tihar jail to meet the students and listen to their grievances and their version of the Sunday night fracas at the south Delhi campus.
Jamia parents' group to boycott magisterial probe By A Staff Reporter NEW DELHI: A group of parents, operating under the name of Jamia Parents Association, on Friday said they would boycott the magisterial inquiry ordered by the Delhi government into the recent violent clash between the students and the police on the varsity campus. ``We will boycott the inquiry unless it is conducted by at least a serving or retired judge of the high court,'' said the association, asking Union home minister L K Advani to intervene in the matter and take appropriate action.
Jamia VC wants cases against students withdrawn By A Staff Reporter NEW DELHI: Demanding withdrawal of cases registered against students, Jamia Millia Islamia vice-chancellor Syed Shahid Mahdi on Saturday said a judicial probe must be instituted to look into the violent clash between students and police in the campus on April 9. ``A minor incident aggravated into the entire campus being taken over by the police, causing great torture to students and arrest of a large number of them. It created confusion and chaos in the hostels....the Jamia property was damaged,'' said Mahdi. ``The police entered the campus without any permission from the university administration. On the contrary, the police was asked to leave the campus and refrain from violence,'' he added. After getting the arrested students released, the vice-chancellor said the varsity's efforts were now directed at getting all the charges against the students dropped unconditionally. ``We are trying to ensure that the record of the students remains unblemished so that their future is not harmed,'' said the vice-chancellor. ``There must be a judicial probe into the sequence of events and compensation should be provided for the material losses suffered by the students,'' he added. Meanwhile, the agitated students are demanding the release of the remaining two students in Tihar jail, immediate withdrawal of the police from the campus, dropping of all ``false charges'' against ``innocent'' students, a time-bound judicial inquiry and suspension of the police officials responsible for the incident.
Jamia teachers hit out at administration By A Staff Reporter NEW DELHI: Condemning the police action against students on campus on April 9, the Jamia Teachers' Association said the varsity administration was squarely responsible for the ``unfortunate situation''. ``The laxity, inefficiency and mishandling of the situation by the Jamia administration need an explanation. It is accountable for its actions to the university community,'' said JTA president S Inayat A Zaidi. In a related development, Jamia vice-chancellor S Shahid Mahdi met Union home minister L K Advani on Monday and ``apprised him of the prevailing situation''. ``The vice-chancellor requested the minister for the withdrawal of the cases against the students so that order can be restored on the campus and the exams can be held. The minister was sympathetic to the plea and his response towards the matter was positive,'' said a Jamia official. Meanwhile, the students continued their agitation, with some sitting on a hunger strike, to demand the immediate withdrawal of the police from the campus, dropping of all ``false charges'' against ``innocent'' students, a time-bound judicial inquiry and suspension of the police officials responsible for the incident.
Advani urged to withdraw cases against Jamia students The Times of India News Service NEW DELHI: Jamia Milia Islamia university's vice-chancellor Shahid Mahdi, Delhi's chief minister Sheila Dikshit and transport minisiter Pervez Hashmi met Union home minister L K Advani here on Monday and urged him to withdraw the police cases against the students. Prof Mahdi met Advani separately to apprise him about the prevailing situation in the university following the April 9 police action. Mahdi requested Advani that the cases against the students should be withdrawn ``so that order could be restored on the campus and examinations held.'' ``The home minister was sympathetic to the plea and his response was positive,'' the Vice-Chancellor's office said. Sheila Dikshit and Pervez Hashmi also in their meeting with Advani urged him to take action against the police officers and demanded withdrawal of all cases against the students. Hashmi described the police action as ``illegal and against the norms of civilised behaviour'' and said responsibility should be fixed and an FIR ``lodged against the guilty officers.'' The People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) demanded a judicial inquiry, headed by a high court judge, into the police action. Releasing a five-page report, the PUCL said its team ``did not get any evidence of provocation to police by the students.''
Students protest brutal police action in Jamia By A Staff Reporter NEW DELHI: Hundreds of agitated students staged a demonstration at Parliament Street on Tuesday to protest against what they called the ``brutal police action'' against students in Jamia Millia Islamia on April 9. The police had to resort to water-cannons and tear-gassing to control the students from Jamia Millia, Jamia Hamdard, Delhi University, JNU and Aligarh Muslim University who wanted to march to the Parliament. A chastened police, however, did not use lathi this time. ``We have detained eight students on rioting charges. We used water and tear-gas only after they broke through two of the barricades,'' said a police officer. Earlier, shouting slogans against the Union government and the police, the students marched from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar. ``We were beaten mercilessly by the police on April 9...a few students were even thrown from the second and third floors of the hostels,'' claimed one student. The police have, however, denied all allegations. The students want immediate withdrawal of the police from the Jamia campus, dropping of all ``false charges'' against ``innocent'' students, a time-bound judicial inquiry and suspension of the police officials responsible for the incident. Meanwhile, Jamia vice-chancellor Syed Shahid Mahdi on Tuesday asked the students to ``work for the restoration of the academic atmosphere on the campus.'' ``As far as your (students) demands and our grievances are concerned, I have taken them to the relevant quarters of the government. I have had discussions with the Union home minister, lieutenant governor and chief minister of Delhi...These discussions have produced some favourable results,'' he told the students.
V-C's plea to call off Jamia agitation By A Staff Reporter NEW DELHI: Even as the campus of Jamia Millia Islamia continued to remain tense on Wednesday, vice-chancellor Syed Shahid Mahdi once again appealed to the students to call off their agitation ``so that they can appear at the exams with single-minded devotion''. The students are agitating for a time-bound judicial inquiry into the violent clash between police and students which rocked the campus on April 9. They also want an immediate withdrawal of the police from the campus, dropping of all ``false charges'' against students, and suspension of the police officials responsible for the incident. The vice-chancellor, in turn, said he had a ``detailed discussion'' with Lt-governor Vijai Kapoor and police commissioner Ajai Raj Sharma on Wednesday morning. He said he was assured that the ``cases against the students will be withdrawn and their academic year saved''. Hundreds of agitated students had staged a demonstration on Tuesday against the police action on the campus. The police clarified on Wednesday that no student was arrested or detained after the demonstration.
Walk-out over Jamia issue in Lok Sabha The Times of India News Service NEW DELHI: The entire Opposition staged a walk-out from the Lok Sabha on Wednesday protesting against what they termed the unsatisfactory reply of Union home minister L K Advani on the Jamia Millia issue. In his reply to a member's question, Advani had said that after he had had meetings with the vice- chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia university, Delhi chief minister Sheila Dixit and Union minister of state Shahnawaz Hussain, he spoke to the Lt Governor, who had assured that he would not oppose bail to any student except those who had been involved in violence or in whose possession unlicensed weapons were found. The opposition demanded that the students be released immediately. They pointed out that for those who are innocent applying for bail itself was humiliating. CPM leader Somnath Chatterjee said irrespective of the form of inquiry the government undertook, the students ought to be released immediately and law could take its own course. He also criticised the home minister for not condemning the incident nor criticising the police who had entered the campus without permission and beaten up students ``brutally''. As regards the demand for a judicial inquiry into the alleged excesses, Advani said the Lt Governor had already ordered a magisterial probe. The government, he said, had no reservations for a judicial inquiry but it would be a time-consuming process. On the other hand, the magisterial probe would be speedier, he said. Several delegations from Jamia Millia had met him and he told them that the government would not oppose bail applications of the arrested ``innocent'' students, Advani said. If the members wanted a judicial inquiry, he would advise the Lt Governor in this direction, he said. |
