17 years after Batla House encounter, Jamia Students’ protest faces police crackdown
New Delhi: Seventeen years after the controversial Batla House encounter, student activists at Jamia Millia Islamia who sought to commemorate the incident have alleged police excesses during their protest on campus.
The All India Students’ Association (AISA) organised a march under the banner “Insaf Mashaal Juloos” from the Central Canteen towards Gate No. 7 on Friday evening. Students claimed the rally was abruptly stopped when security personnel, with the support of the university’s own guards, allowed the Delhi Police to enter and detain participants.
According to student accounts, several female protesters were dragged and manhandled, with one hijab-clad student reportedly pulled away by women guards. Detainees also alleged that gates were deliberately left open to give police access inside the campus. AISA leaders and other activists were among those taken away.
The police action has revived debate around the Batla House encounter of 19 September 2008, in which Jamia student Atif Amin (24) and school aspirant Mohammad Sajid (17) were killed during a Special Cell operation. Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma also lost his life in the exchange.
Civil rights groups including PUDR, PUCL, APCR, JTSA and others have long questioned the official version of the operation, citing post-mortem reports that indicated blunt force injuries, execution-style bullet wounds, and inconsistencies in the escape narrative of alleged suspects. Despite these concerns, no judicial inquiry has ever been ordered.
Activists argue that the memories of the encounter continue to shape the lives of Muslim students in Delhi, many of whom faced detentions, interrogations and long-lasting stigma in its aftermath.
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Trump says he ‘hasn’t even thought about’ continuing Iran ceasefire
Washington: US President Donald Trump has said he has not yet considered whether he would continue the ceasefire involving Iran, while also claiming the United States holds the advantage in negotiations.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said he was prepared to make a deal with “whoever is running the show” in Iran.
“They are fighting with each other, there’s tremendous infighting. They’re probably fighting for leadership in many cases. I think they’re fighting not to be leader because we knocked out two levels of leaders,” he said.
Trump added, “When they want they can call me. We have all the cards, we’ve won everything.”
Referring to ongoing negotiations, he said, “They gave us a paper that should’ve been better. And, interestingly, immediately when I cancelled it [envoy trip to Pakistan], within 10 minutes we got a new paper that was much better.”
“We talked about they will not have a nuclear weapon, very simple … They offered a lot, but not enough,” he added.
When asked whether he would continue the ceasefire, Trump replied, “I haven’t even thought about it.”
The remarks come as uncertainty remains over the future of the temporary truce and broader negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
