CAA Protest: Student agitation in support of Jamia, AMU continues

NEW DELHI: University and college students from different parts of the country organised fresh protests on December 17, 2019.

They will protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, passed by the Narendra Modi government last week, and in support of the students of Jamia Millia Islamia University in Delhi and Aligarh Muslim University, Uttar Pradesh.

On Sunday, students protests against the CAA at Jamia and AMU faced the police’s batons and tear gas. There was violence at the Sunday protest in Jamia. On Tuesday, several publications and television channels including NDTV, Hindustan Times, The Indian Express and others reported that the police had arrested 10 from the area around Jamia with criminal records for Sunday's vandalism. A "senior police officer" told them categorically that none of the 10 were students. On Sunday, however, the police had broken into the Jamia campus without permission and attacked students.

Outraged by this, students from around 40 institutions across the country boycotted classes, marched, held protest demonstrations or issued statements of solidarity with Jamia and AMU on Monday, December 16. These included the most premier institutions of management and engineering studies – the Indian Institutes of Management and the Indian Institutes of Technology – that have traditionally remained aloof. Eminent government and private institutions explicitly condemned the CAA.

Those protests continue. Here are some of the institutions where students have announced protests today:

The student body of the University of Madras has organised a protest for all university and colleges of Madras to uphold their right to dissent.

Students of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU) will be observing a peaceful protest against CAA from 5:30 PM.

The Student's Union of Hyderabad Central University is organising a torch march against the implementation of CAA and National Register for Citizen. The students are demanding the withdrawal of the discriminatory law.

Osmania University (OU), English and Foreign Languages University (ELU), Telangana University (TU) and HCU are organising a protest at the Ladies Hostel to Arts College, OU.

The Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur had announced a protest march at 2 PM on campus. Students of IIT Kanpur informed Careers360 that the silent protest was disrupted by the administration of institute citing the imposition of Section 144 in the campus. As per the rule, the assembly of four or more people is prohibited. Despite revoking the permission to hold a silent protest, the students of IIT-Kanpur stood their ground and continued the protest peacefully. Later, the police interrupted the protest and asked the students to raise their hands and march 'to ensure they do not have weapons.'

A section of students from Lucknow University protested. The follow photographed was shared by one of them.

Students, teachers and Gandhians gathered to protest at Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

Source: Anumeha Yadav

In a statement issued by the Department of English at the University of Delhi, the students have called for action from fellow students.

Pinjra Tod, an autonomous students group against gender discrimination is joining protests at Ambedkar University, Delhi at 1 PM and at Arts Faculty, the University of Delhi at 2 PM. Another protest has been organised at Shaheedi Park, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, at 8:30 PM.

Stopped, detained, shifted

In Bengaluru, protesters who had planned to march from Town Hall to Freedom Park were not allowed to gather by the police. According to reporters from The News Minute and NewsX, a few students were even detained. The protesters ultimately moved to Freedom Park.

At Freedom Park (Source: Twitter/ Asha Jhina)

The Asian News International reported that in Pune, police had issued notice under section 149 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, or CrPC, to two students of Fergusson College. They were "advised" not to hold a signature campaign or protest against CAA and NCR, said ANI.

Students in Mumbai were planning a protest at Girgaon Chaupati, near Wilson College, on December 19. However, a student of Tata Institute of Social Sciences informed Careers360 that the police is not allowing a gathering at that venue. The protesters will now gather at August Kranti Maidan, Tardeo.

'Protests Abroad'

As the scale of protests increases in the country, students abroad are also extending their support to fellow students in India. As per a tweet by Bar & Bench, over 400 students and alumni of universities of United State of America have condemned police brutality across university campuses. Prominent universities like Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Columbia and Tufts expressed their support.

Students from Oxford University also issued a statement.

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