From Lucknow to Hyderabad, protests across campuses against police crackdown in Jamia
New Delhi, Dec 16: Unrest over the police crackdown in Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia and the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act rippled in angry waves through the country on Monday with demonstrations in several campuses, including in Hyderabad, Lucknow and Mumbai.
The morning after violence broke out in the national capital, thousands of students across India took to the streets demanding a probe into the use of teargas inside the Jamia library as well as police entering the campus without permission from university authorities.
There was heavy police presence in university campuses.
Several Delhi University students boycotted exams and held a protest outside the Arts Faculty in North Campus to express their solidarity with the movement. They said they will gather at India Gate on Monday evening.
At ground zero of the student movement, a group of Jamia students stood shirtless in the bone-chilling cold of a Delhi morning to protest the action against their colleagues on Sunday.
Several students were seen leaving for home but the anger simmered. Slogans of "inquilab zindabad" were heard about 10 students, accompanied by their fellow colleagues, took out a small march, demanding a CBI inquiry into the "police brutality".
As a few women escorted an injured student to narrate their ordeal to the media, some people were seen asking them not to give any statements.
"We were inside the university when the police barged in. Around 20 policemen came from gate no 7 and 50 others came from the rear gate. We told them we were not involved in the violence. They didn't listen. They didn't even spare women," Khanzala, who suffered injuries to his legs and abdomen, said.
A woman broke down as Khanzala showed his injuries to the media.
Fifty detained Jamia students were released early Monday but tension continued in the campus.
In Lucknow's Nadwa College, students gathered in the hundreds shouting slogans like "Awaz do, hum ek hain" (call us we are all united) as police tried to control the situation.
"Some students of the Nadwatul Ulama here tried to protest and hurled stones from inside. They were prevented and no one is allowed to come outside the campus," said Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police O P Singh.
In Hyderabad's Maulana Azad Urdu University, students held a protest march post midnight in solidarity with the Jamia students and demanded that their exams be postponed.
There were angry demonstrations at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in Varanasi and at Jadavpur University in Kolkata with demands that the government take action against police "hooliganism".
"Crackdown is a very small word to be used for what happened in Jamia yesterday. This is clear hooliganism. Videos of policemen smashing bikes and beating students are all over social media. The government must fix accountability for this," said a PHD student at BHU.
Ridhima Dua, a Jadavpur University student, asked how teargas could be used inside a closed compound.
"if I am molested on a street and go to police to file a complaint I will be told about norms. Where are the norms now? How can teargas be used inside a closed compound? How can policemen just barge into the university without any permission from vice chancellor? There has to be a probe in this," she said.
Students from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai also protested on the streets shouting slogans such as "Shame on Delhi Police".
In Chennai, students of the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras called for a protest.
The first to join the movement against the violence in Jamia were students from the Aligarh University University (AMU) where there were clashes with the police late at night on Sunday in which at least 60 students were injured.
After the protest, the administration announced closure of the university till January 5 and students have been asked to evacuate the hostels.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the state government was committed to provide security to every citizen of the state. "For this, it is necessary that everyone follows the law. Nobody will be allowed to disturb the atmosphere of peace in the state," he said.
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students joined their compatriots in Jamia outside the police headquarters at Delhi's ITO on Sunday night to protest the alleged police assault on students at the Jamia campus earlier in the day.
The university turned into a battlefield on Sunday as police entered the campus and also used force, following protest against the Act.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
LS polls: Brisk polling underway in Tamil Nadu; 12.55 percent turnout till 9 AM
Chennai (PTI): Brisk polling is underway in Tamil Nadu for the 2024 general election with the state witnessing a 12.55 per cent turnout till 9 AM.
The polling exercise that began at 7 AM on Friday amid tight security arrangements is going on in a quick pace in most of the 39 constituencies spread across the state.
The enthusiasm among first time voters was palpable who hurried to find their names on electoral rolls at makeshift kiosks set up by political parties. Several of them proudly displayed the indelible mark and said they have completed their democratic duty.
Authorities have ensured amenities like drinking water and 'pandal' to provide shade to voters who line up the serpentine queues.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, and his wife Durga Stalin cast their vote at a polling station here. Celebrities including Rajinikanth and Ilaiyaraaja were among the early voters.
Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Edappadi K Palaniswami voted at a polling station in his home district of Salem.
Argument broke out between voters and officials in some polling stations as authorities did not allow people to carry their smartphones/mobiles inside the booth.
People belonging to Parandhur village with over 1,000 voters near Sriperumbudur did not turn up to vote till 9.30 AM. Residents of villages including Parandhur are opposing an airport project in their region.
Voters arrived at the polling stations enthusiastically as early as 6.30 AM and waited for their turn to vote, with personnel of the state and central police forces standing guard. As many as 190 companies of Central Armed Police Forces have been deployed. Some polling stations like Kattuppalli (Tiruvallur) however wore a deserted look.
Voting was delayed by an hour in some polling booths, such as the one near Tambaram coming under Sriperumbudur Lok Sabha segment, due to technical glitches in the electronic voting machines and officials said they were attending to it.
Several voters who lined up the queues said they preferred to cast their votes early in the morning to avoid the 'scorching sun,' later in the day.
In total, 3,32,233 polling personnel have been deployed and 1.3 lakh police personnel are on poll duty.
The fate of 950 candidates will be decided by about 6.23 crore voters who are set to exercise their franchise in 68,321 polling stations.
DMK's Dayanidhi Maran (Central Chennai), A Raja (Nilgiris) and Kanimozhi (Thoothukudi), BJP's K Annamalai (Coimbatore), L Murugan (Nilgiris) and Tamilisai Soundararajan (South Chennai), former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam (Ramanathapuram), Congress party's Karti Chidambaram (Sivaganga), AIADMK's J Jayavardhan (South Chennai) and AMMK chief TTV Dhinakaran (Theni) are among the prominent candidates.
Political rivals Tamilisai Soundararajan and Premalatha Vijayakanth happened to meet at a polling booth in Saligramam here and hugged each other. After exhanging pleasantries they also posed for photogoraphs.
Polling is underway in neighbouring Puducherry as well where the Congress and BJP are in a direct fight.
