HRD Minister tells students to ‘maintain peace’, stays mum on police action

NEW DELHI: After a day of intense protests in over two dozen university and college campuses across the country, the minister for human resource development, Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' appealed to students to "stay away from violence". While suggesting that students were the cause of all violence that has taken place on university campuses over the past two days, Pokhriyal remaind silent on the police's use of lathi-charge and tear gas even on peaceful protesters and students reading in libraries at Jamia Millia Islamia University, in Delhi, and Aligarh Muslim University, Uttar Pradesh.

Students at the two universities were protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, passed by the Narendra Modi government last week. Outside Jamia, a section of the localities residents joined and allegedly grew violent. Three buses were torched in the melee. In retaliation, the police baton-charged and tear-gassed students inside the Jamia campus which, according the Vice Chancellor, Najma Akhtar's statement, they entered without permission. The Uttar Pradesh police repeated this performance at AMU which protests in support of Jamia. Hundreds were injured at the two campuses - a fact that found no mention in Pokhriyal's statement. Akhtar's statement to the media saying she will seek a "high-level inquiry" into the matter from the HRD minister was not publicly acknowledged either.

In the tweeted statement Pokhriyal said: "I appeal to all students to stay away from violence and maintain peace in their environment. Please do not pay heed to rumours. This time, it is necessary to advance the feelings of peace, brotherhood and friendship. We should not do anything that goes against the interest of the nation."

On Monday, students in around two dozen college and university campuses boycotted classes, exams and fieldwork to march and hold protest vigils.

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