Police lathi-charge students at Anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests in Delhi

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Violent clashes erupted when students of Jamia Milia Islamia University (JMIU) broke cordon and tried to scale barricades after police denied them the right to protest peacefully.

The protest call had been given by Jamia Teachers Union and hundreds of students turned up to participate in a march to the Parliament. But the police placed barricades near the Jamia stadium gate and did not allow the protestors to move forward. That’s when clashes broke out with many students attempting to climb and jump over the barricades. Students also allegedly pelted stones at the police.

During the clashes, police allegedly brutally attacked the protesters with lathis and even lobbed tear gas shells. Even though the justification given for the lathi charge was crown control, videos emerged on social media showing how in many instances police beat up students without provocation. 

In other videos, police personnel can be seen manhandling protesters including young women students.

Sources familiar with the developments told Sabrang India that many students had been injured with some sustaining serious head injuries. Many students were detained. Sources also told us that by shortly after 4:30 PM the entire Jamia Nagar neighbourhood had been surrounded by the police and even people living in far off neighbourhoods like Manzil Colony and Noor Nagar could hear tear gas shells.

The clashes let to a temporary shut down of Metro rail services at a few stations. Trains did not halt at Patel Chowk and Janpath, but services resumed later.

According to the Delhi Traffic Police, traffic movement was also affected on both carriageways from Jamia to Sukhdev Vihar and from Mathura Road to Sarai Jullena.