Jamia violence: Delhi HC refuses to pass order on plea seeking recovery of damages

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday refused to pass an order on a petition filed by a BJP leader seeking permission to file an intervention application in Jamia Millia Islamia violence matter. A division bench of Justice D N Patel and Justice C Harishankar did not accede to the request and said: "We will see." Seeking to file the intervention application, BJP leader Ashwini Upadhyay stated that over Rs 20 crore worth of public properties were damaged in the violence and sought it to be recovered from the people who are accountable.

On December 15, violent clashes erupted between the Delhi Police and students of Jamia Millia Islamia University after a protest against the amended Citizenship Act. After the incident, petitions were moved in the High Court, following which it posted them for February 4 and also issued a notice to the Central government and Delhi Police.  After a row of violent protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), students of Jamia Millia have held candle march in protest against the CAA in Delhi.

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Jamia Submits Report To HRD Ministry

The Jamia Millia Islamia has submitted a fresh report to the HRD Ministry requesting a judicial inquiry into the entry of police on the university premises last Sunday. The varsity had earlier submitted reports in the matter on December 15-16. In the fresh report submitted to the ministry on December 20, Jamia reiterated its request for the initiation of an inquiry committee or a judicial inquiry to the incident. In its report, the varsity mentioned that police used teargas and lathi-charge to disperse protesters gathered on Mathura Road and Julena Road.

The protesters while retreating took Maulana Mohd. Ali Jauhar Marg, which passes through the university campus, the varsity said in its report submitted by the registrar of Jamia. The police had on December 15 purportedly stormed the library while looking for 'outsiders' who were involved in the arson and violence during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protest outside the campus. While pushing the crowd on this road, the Delhi Police entered inside the campus through Gate Numbers 4 and 7 by "breaking the lock, beating the guards on duty and window and doors of the library, lobbed the teargas shell inside the reading room then forcefully entered inside and beat all the students studying inside the library brutally", they claimed in the report.

It is submitted that no permission to enter the campus or library was given by university authorities. "This unprovoked targeting of the innocent students who have nothing to do with the crowd resulted in a severe and inhuman beating which led to the fracture of hands, legs, and one student lost his eyesight because of the direct hit on the left eye by lathi," the varsity claimed.

(with agency inputs) 

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