HC seeks UP government, AMU's reply on baton charge on students

The Allahabad High Court on Thursday asked the Uttar Pradesh government and the AMU administration to file its replies within two weeks on a plea about baton charge and tear gas shells used against students who were protesting against the controversial citizenship law.

In the petition, requests were made for a court-monitored committee to inquire into police action, release of students detained by police and medical treatment and compensation to all those injured in the violence.

The bench comprising Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice Vivek Varma passed the order hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Mohammad Aman Khan of Allahabad.

The petition said students of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) were peacefully protesting against amended Citizenship Act since last Friday.

On Sunday, students gathered at the Maulana Azad Library and marched up to the university gate. When they reached the gate, police deployed there started "provoking" students, but students did not respond, according to the plea.

After sometime, police started firing tear gas shells at students and students were baton-charged by the police in which around 100 students got injured, the petitioner alleged.

The high court, however, refused to pass any order on release of detained people as the court was of the view that parents/guardian of detained student, if any, can approach a competent court for their release and same cannot be done in a PIL by way of general order.

The court fixed January 2 as the next date of hearing.