Jamia almuni association files police complaint against cops who entered varsity library

The Jamia Millia Islamia Alumni Association on Tuesday filed a police complaint against policemen who barged inside the university's library on December 15 last year, demanding that they be charged for offences like attempt to murder and insulting religion.

In its complaint filed with the deputy commissioner of police (Southeast) and the SHO of Jamia Nagar police station, the association alleged that the policemen rained batons on students inside the library and used religious slurs.

"In order to hide and destroy evidences of their barbarity and unlawful conduct, the officials/personnel of the police force deliberately tried to destroy the CCTV cameras installed in the campus premises, including the ones installed in the Old Library," the complaint said.

It also stated that the "personnel of the police force vandalised the premises of the Old Reading Hall of the library and broke the gate which was locked from inside by the students and started abusing the students...and lathicharging them from head to toe".

According to the complaint, the students who were present inside the library ran to other floors of the building and tried to lock rooms (MPhil and PhD sections) by putting benches and chairs at the entrance "in order to protect themselves from indiscriminate and unlawful brutality and violence unleashed by the personnel of Delhi Police".

The association demanded that the policemen be charged with criminal trespass with the intent to cause grievous hurt, criminal intimidation, attempt to murder, deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion.

It also said the videos that have emerged online over the last couple of days are proof of police action on campus.

Three videos of alleged police brutality in Jamia surfaced online on Sunday. While one video purportedly showed paramilitary and police personnel thrashing students in the library, the other two showed some youths with covered faces entering the library.

A fourth video surfaced on Monday.

In the video, the police personnel can be seen raining batons on students who are trying to escape. Women students can be seen moving out while pleading with the police personnel and one of the policemen can be seen breaking a camera.

The police have maintained that they are trying to establish the exact sequence of events by analysing all the clips circulating on social media.

On December 15 last year, a protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act near Jamia turned violent, with demonstrators pelting stones at police and setting public buses and private vehicles on fire.

Police later entered the university, firing teargas shells and baton-charging students. They said they entered the campus as rioters had taken shelter there.