India’s national capital burned on Sunday afternoon as angry protests exploded from certain places in south Delhi. Buses and other vehicles were set on fire in and around New Friends’ Colony in southeast Delhi leaving a cop and two fire personnel injured. Videos of violent scenes have flooded the microblogging site Twitter. The Delhi Police have come under condemnation for allegedly entering the campus of Jamia Millia Islamia University and using force against students.
According to news agency PTI, one fire tender was completely damaged and two personnel were injured in the violence by the protesters. Saimon Farooqui, the national secretary of Congress-affiliated National Students’ Union of India, alleged that cops resorted to violence even when protesters were peacefully sitting on Mathura Road.
Several journalists and students took to social media to share videos of what they said was a brutal attack by cops. Some videos claimed that police had also allegedly attacked the central library of the Jamia before causing damage.
This is not a scene of Indo-Pak or Bangladesh border but of our national capital. #Delhi police used ’gun’ to dispersed ’violent’ student. The #JamiaMilia Student organization and University admin both denies police claim and alleged forceful entry into the campus. #JamiaProtest pic.twitter.com/lv6rmAMNO8
— Aashish (@Ashi_IndiaToday) December 15, 2019
Another video from since Jamia campus. Two students beaten up and lying injured inside the toilet. #CABPolitics #CABProtests #JamiaProtest pic.twitter.com/QyUuVFt0P5
— Kunal Majumder (@kunalmajumder) December 15, 2019
Most powerful pic of the era…. #CABAgainstConstitution #JamiaProtest #CABProtest pic.twitter.com/7I84o7lgQj
— Bilal Irfan بلال عرفان (@BilalJaiHind) December 15, 2019
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged people to avoid violence. He tweeted, “No one shud indulge in violence. Any kind of violence is unacceptable. Protests shud remain peaceful. In his subsequent tweet, Kejriwal wrote, “Spoke to Hon’ble LG and urged him to take all steps to restore normalcy and peace. We are also doing everything possible at our end. Real miscreants who caused violence shud be identified and punished.”
The Delhi Police justified its decision to enter the Jamia campus. According to news agency PTI, the Delhi Police said that ‘we only acted to control the situation after the violence.”
Chinmoy Biswal, DCP South East, was quoted by news agency ANI as saying, “Our only interest is to push the mob back, so law and order can be restored in the area. We have no problem with university (Jamia Millia Islamia University) students.
Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that both private and government schools in Okhla, Jamia, New Friends Colony and Madanpur Khadar area of Delhi will remain closed on Monday in view of today’s violence.
