To say that not a day goes by when there’s not a clash between the Police (and the authorities) and the students in India would be actually overstating facts. Does that happen on a daily basis? Well, it’s not true. India is still, very much a peaceful nation where everyone carries a right to object and protest and point to some discord that shouldn’t happen. Yet, at the same time, to say that The Citizenship Amendment Bill has been received widely and with vigor but not vitriol would be baseless. That would be simply shoving the issue under the carpet- right?
And one wonders, what could perhaps underline this broader narrative- one that points in the direction of protests and opposition to what has already become a major victory for the current government- are the recent clashes that took place between Jamia students and the police over the issue of CAB.
The Citizen Amendment Bill may soon be a reality in India. In fact, it’s only a matter of a few days now. Having been widely received in the Rajya Sabha, with the honorable Prime Minister having already made the overwhelming sentiment clear – “Landmark day for India-” on the social media, there’s still space for furor.
In fact, where much of the larger India stands, then the Citizen Amendment Bill of 2019 has been largely met with scathing protests, great evidence of which was learned in the country’s national capital, quick to latch on to the nerve-wracking developments that stand the power to change any narrative concerned with the country.
So what exactly happened between the Jamia students and the Police?
Quoting NDTV on the developing story that perhaps may not exactly have startled a lot too many, given the widespread protests that have taken the country by a storm, here’s what exactly transpired:
Hundreds of students from the Jamia Millia Islamia University clashed with police in Delhi today, after they were prevented from taking out a protest march to the Parliament House against the amended Citizenship Act. Police detained 50 protesters as the violence spiralled out of control and a ban on large gatherings was imposed in the area.
Police used tear gas shells and batons in an attempt to disperse the agitating students while they were leaving the university premises. Many media persons were also targeted in the course of the incident.
But if in case, you thought that this was all, there was more. The altercation between the Jamia students and the police didn’t just stop or stay there; there was more aggressiveness that marked the unwanted but expected episode.
Sharing more elaborate outcomes from the tangle between the Jamia students and the police, the following made rancor:
Media footage of the incident showed the police acting aggressively. It was confirmed that the police were caning protestors clambering over barricades erected to stop them. The police and the Jamia students have both accused each other of starting the violence, while one can’t really say at this time as to whose version is apt.
“We were marching peacefully when the police stopped us. Then they lathi-charged us in an attempt to make us retreat,” news agency PTI quoted a law student at the university as saying. However, a senior police officer at the spot insisted that the protesters had attacked first — forcing them to retaliate with teargas shells.