In the recent events, that have followed the peaceful protests by the students of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), the lathi charge and the tear gas thrown at students was a way to silence the crowd.
If you believe the above statement, you are believing the lies the police wants you to believe. On 15th of December, the people gathered at JMI to march to Jantar Mantar in protest against the NRC and the Citizenship Amendment Act. The police issued a lathi charge and many students were injured and a lot of them suffered severe injuries.
The police then entered into the campus and started beating up the students. However, unjust as this maybe, I cannot seem to understand why the police felt the need to invade the girls’ campus.
The police stormed into the ladies washrooms and hostels and even assaulted some students. In a secular country such as India, I don’t comprehend how the government issued such an Act, without considering the constitution; and when the people protested against it, they were beaten and mistreated.
A few of the students, who were kept in the police station, on the night of 15th December had severe injuries and no medical assistance was given to them; they should have been given medical attention, as soon as any signs of injuries were seen or noticed by the police.
These events lead me to believe that what was once my country, my home, may not be safe for me anymore. As a Muslim, I believed in the secularity of our constitution to keep me safe. And if such an Act is issued, which violates and discriminates on the basis of religion, then, who is to assure me and the Muslim population of India, that we will be safe in our homes?
The CAA should not have been implemented in the first place; it is defying secularity and the non-discriminating structure of our country. Thus, I support the protests against the CAA and demand that the Delhi police are questioned about why things escalated so fast and why such severe methods were adopted by them.
The police should also be questioned on the invasion of the AMU campus and why they demanded the students be evacuated from the hostel immediately. There are protests from colleges all over India in support of JMI. At least we have a youth who understands what is right and wrong and have the guts to stand up for what they believe is right.