New Delhi, December 21, 2022 (PPI-OT):Students, journalists, and members of civil society and legal fraternity gathered in the Press Club of India to commemorate three years of brutal police violence in Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) and Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) during historic protests against CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) and NRC (National Register of Citizens). The organisers Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) and Concerned Citizens said the meeting was held in defines of those who have been put behind bars for exercising their democratic right to speak up against the attacks on minorities and the marginalized.

Nadeem Khan from APCR said, “Today is the day to remind ourselves how three years back people were brutalised for peacefully protesting against the CAA. The police action three years ago showed the kind of impunity that police has acquired. This should concern everyone in the society.” Senior journalist and political editor at The Caravan, Hartosh Singh Bal, said that at the time of India’s independence, there were two visions of India. “First was the vision of constitutional democracy where everyone would be considered equal. The second was the vision championed by the RSS where while some would be considered superior citizens, others would be treated as inferior based on their religion. This is what is being implemented now,” he said.

Senior journalist Pamela Philipose asked that why does a government that is projecting itself as a vibrant democracy in the world stage need to suppress dissent on ground? She said, “The anti-CAA movement showed the spirit of solidarity amongst the people. We need to proudly remember that the students of JMI and AMU were the first to speak up against the CAA.” Warda Beg, student activist from AMU, quoting Angela Davis said that while jail is meant to break people’s spirits, it has failed to break the spirits of our friends who were jailed for protesting against the discriminatory CAA.

Haris Javed, a student from JMI, recounted the horrors of the police atrocities on the 13th and 15th of December 2019. He said, “After all the atrocities, now the students are being portrayed as the villains. Many students have lost their hands, their eyes. Every winter, the pain strikes back and so do those memories.”

For more information, contact:
Kashmir Media Service
Phone: +92-51-4435548, +92-51-4435549
Fax: +92-51-4861736
Email: info@kmsnews.org
Website: www.kmsnews.org