Student protestssweep campuses

New Delhi Students boycotted classes, shouted slogans and hit the streets on Monday in an unprecedented show of unity against alleged police crackdown at Delhi’s

New Delhi Students boycotted classes, shouted slogans and hit the streets on Monday in an unprecedented show of unity against alleged police crackdown at Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) and Utttar Pradesh’s Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). They said they were angry about their peers at the two Muslim-majority campuses being allegedly targeted by police, and at India’s newly amended citizenship law that favours non-Muslim refugees from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

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The thread of solidarity ran from Panjab University in Chandigarh to the Central University of Kerala in Karasagod, from the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad to Jadavpur University in Kolkata – with many students saying they were forced to come out on the streets because violence on students couldn’t be tolerated. Here’s a look at what happened in campuses across the country on Monday:

LUCKNOW

Students at Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama (Nadwa college) allegedly resorted to stone pelting and sloganeering while protesting against the police action at JMI and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Administrative officials said the Nadwa college has been closed till January 5 and students have been asked to evacuate the campus. By Monday evening, a large number of students had already left for their home.

A protest was also staged by some students of Integral University in the city. “When students were asked to go inside the college in the morning (Monday), some of them resorted to stone pelting. The police force was already on alert and we contained the situation by pushing them inside the campus. The situation is under control,” said inspector general (IG) of police Lucknow range SK Bhagat.

VARANASI

There were angry demonstrations on the Banaras Hindu University campus with demands that the government take action against police “hooliganism”. “We strongly condemn the beating of students by Delhi police. We are with the students of JNU and AMU in their protest against the CAA, which is against the spirit of the Constitution,” said Vandana, a student.

PRAYAGRAJ

The Allahabad University administration postponed all semester examinations scheduled for the day and suspended classes.

KOLKATA

The three campuses of Jadavpur University, Calcutta University, Presidency University, often called the hotbed of numerous student movements, saw protests against the violence at JMI and AMU. “How could police enter the Jamia Millia University without permission from the vice-chancellor? This is atrocious. The incident has put a question on safety of students. And, as a professor I know that no student would ever damage property in his own institution,” said Udayan Bandopadhyay, a political science professor at a college under CU.

The West Bengal College and University Teachers’ Association (WBCUTA) a state-level body, condemned the violence at JMI and AMU “We also appeal to the central government to identify those police personnel involved in attacking the innocent students and take appropriate action against them,” said Kesab Bhattacharya, general secretary, WBCUTA.

CHANDIGARH

Students associated with eight student organisations led by the Left-leaning Students For Society (SFS) held a protest in Panjab University. They shouted anti-government slogans and called for the rollback of the new law.

“The CAA is a step towards making Indian state a Hindu rashtra,” said student leader Jujhar Singh.

MUMBAI

Some students at IIT-Bombay’s Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle termed the JMI incident as brutal attack on students right to protest. A student of Mumbai University, where a silent protest was held, said, “Together with NRC [National Register of Citizens], the CAA is an attack on our secular Constitution.”

Students at TISS agreed that the battle is likely to continue. On Monday, around 100 students marched from the Deonar campus to Ambedkar Garden in Chembur. “There is unrest among students. In the past year there have been no protests at TISS but now students have got down to protest again. This goes on to show how upset students are,” said Yashwant Zagade, a research scholar at TISS.

“There is a lot of discontent among students. Student organisations from across all institutes are coming together to express our dissent,” said Sachin Bansode, state coordinator of Chhatra Bharti, a student organisation of the University of Mumbai.

HYDERABAD

At the Maulana Azad National Urdu University, about 1500 students staged a protest demanding revocation of the CAA and expressing solidarity with students in AMU and JMI.

“The CAA and NRC are aimed at dividing the country on religious lines, as they discriminate against Muslims. They are against the principles of Indian Constitution,” says MANUU students’ union president Shaik Umar Faruq Quadri.

PUNE

Student groups from Savitribai Phule Pune University protested in the university campus in the evening. “There is lot of anger among the students and this will be seen in today’s protests,” said Kamlakar Shete, Pune city vice-president of Yuvak Kranti Dal, a prominent student organisations.

Students from various colleges had planned a signature campaign outside the gates of Fergusson College to oppose the CAA. However, on being denied permission by the police, they cancelled the signature drive and met inside Fergusson College campus

Tamil Nadu

Mohammed Sathak College of Arts and Science in Sholinganallur and Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development in Chennai saw protests.

Kerala

Peaceful protest marches were taken out at the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) in Kochi and the Central University of Kerala in Kasaragod. Student leaders said dividing people on the basis of their religion is wrong.

“We were shocked to see images of police crackdown. Even girl students were brutally assaulted. We have friends from all religions. We never show any discrimination,” said K P Kiran, a student leader from Cusat.

Puducherry

Students of Pondicherry University marched on campus.

IIM Bangalore

Students and faculty members released a statement protesting the alleged police action in JMI and AMU. “We the undersigned members of IIM Bangalore stand in solidarity with students around the country protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act of 2019 (CAA). We call upon you to not trample the democratic rights of citizens to peacefully protest an unjust law. Non-violent civil disobedience is at the heart of our republic’s founding. We urge you to ensure that students can protest peacefully, and that violence is not incited by anyone including custodians of state in positions of great authority and responsibility,” read the statement, signed by 170 members