Students from top US universities condemn police crackdown on students protesting against CAA

Hundreds of students from different universities across the United States have condemned the "brutal police violence unleashed" against the students at Jamia Millia Islamia University and Aligarh Muslim University during Sunday's protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019.

In a joint statement, the students from prominent US universities, including Harvard University, Columbia University, and University of Michigan, among others, deemed the police crackdown as "a gross violation of human rights under the Constitution of India and International Human Rights Law" and expressed "full solidarity" with the students protesting against, what they have described as, the "unlawful and unconstitutional" CAA.

Several students and cops were injured at the Jamia Nagar area in New Delhi on Sunday night during protests against the CAA.

"By every account, it appears that police and paramilitary, both at Jamia Milia Islamia University, and at Aligarh Muslim University, have used violence and pursued unlawful and reckless tactics against student protestors in violation of protections under the Constitution of India and International Human Rights law, " the statement read.

"The entry of police and paramilitary into University premises, indiscriminate attacks within the premises of the University including releasing tear gas in libraries, and brutal use of force against civilians is a blatant violation of the law and can only shock the conscience of any democratic society," it added.

The students also condemned the use of violence against protestors in Assam which resulted in the death of five people, including two minor boys.

"This combined with the unlawful denial of access to the internet in the state has completely blocked news reports of events on the ground, including the ability of the protestors to represent their demands and report unlawful police action.

In the statement, the students demanded "an immediate, independent, and robust investigation into the abuse of power by the Delhi Police, Uttar Pradesh Police, and the Central Reserve Police Force, as well as called upon officers of the "Indian Police and Administrative Services to fulfil their duty to uphold the Constitution of India, and to resist any political demand to act in abuse of the powers that have been conferred upon them." (ANI)

The students called on Union Minister Amit Shah to immediately take "necessary steps to curb police brutality.