Update: “I was brutally beaten and dragged by the police. My whole body is hurting. What was my mistake? I fear for my life and my family’s safety. I appeal to all Indians to support me and raise voice against this blatant injustice. “
SabrangIndia spoke to Pooja Shukla while she was on her way to the police station. She informed that Dr. Kafeel Khan and many others were present during hunger strike. Suddenly the police started “behaving badly (beating)”. She is extremely worried about her safety and wonders what will happen now!
She was brutally beaten and taken into custody after the news of the VC being attacked surfaced.
Lucknow: Three days after Sabrang India reported about Pooja Shukla going on a hunger strike, she was arrested outside Lucknow University on Wednesday. She had demanded the results of her entrance exams along with 25 others and said they were forcibly being withheld by the Vice Chancellor.
Sadaf Jafar, a teacher and citizen sitting with Shukla in support of the hunger strike was being taken into custody before she spoke to us. “Pooja had gone to ask the VC for her results when she was unceremoniously rejected by the VC. He said that it’s his university and he can do whatever he wants. Her results were withheld and her admission denied among 25 others,” she said.
She also said that when Pooja told the VC that she will go on a hunger strike on Monday, he said that they are free to do whatever they want and can take any action against him. “He said that we got Justice Loya murdered, who are you to threaten us?” she said.
She added that Pooja has been sitting in front of the university for the last three days and nights and nobody has been protecting her and no security guards or police have ensured her safety at night. “Suddenly there was news that the VC has been attacked. I don’t know who attacked him or he set it up himself to look like a victim. Pooja was arrested soon after the news broke,” she said.
At 6 minutes, the police can be seen dragging Pooja
“They brutally beat pooja. The male police officer told the women police officers to drag her into the van. They also said that let her clothes tear apart, she will have to come with us. They mercilessly dragged her and she is injured,” Jafar said.
She informed us that 11 of them have been arrested and are being taken to the police station but wasn’t sure. “We have been roaming in the van for hours in the Lucknow city and nobody is telling us where we are going. I think they are taking us to the police station,” she said.
She added that the hunger strike will continue and other student leaders like Sudhanshu Bajpayee will take it forward.
Shukla had shown black flags to UP CM Yogi Adityanath in 2017 and was imprisoned for about a month following the incident.
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