Protests spread to BHU, Islamic seminary in Lucknow; 21 held in Aligarh

Protests against the amended Citizenship Act engulfed new areas in Uttar Pradesh on Monday with students hurling stones at police at a Islamic seminary in Lucknow and shouting slogans at BHU in Varanasi.

The authorities reacted with arrests of 21 persons in Aligarh and suspension of internet services in three sensitive districts.

UP police chief O P Singh told PTI that internet services in Aligarh, Saharanpur and Meerut were suspended in amid the protests spreading to new areas.

In Aligarh, 21 people were arrested for allegedly fomenting trouble in Aligarh Muslim University on Sunday night that led to students clashing with police and closure of the varsity till January 5.

A day after AMU students clashed with police against the amended law, students of Islamic Seminary Nadwatul Ulama in Lucknow's Gudamba area joined the protest on Monday in solidarity with the agitating AMU and Jamia Milia students.

The Islamic seminary students on Monday morning sought to hit streets to protest against the amended law, but were barred by the police from stepping out, prompting students to pelt stones at police guarding the seminary gates.

Large pieces of bricks and stones lay strewn outside the gate as police struggled to restrict the protesting students inside the seminary.

There was, however, no report of any injury to anyone on either side.

Lucknow SSP Kalanidhi Naithani said the stone pelting took place briefly but the situation was soon brought under control.

He said additional force will continue to remain deployed outside the seminary to prevent any untoward incident.

The seminary students had tried to protest on Sunday night also but were pacified by the police and college administration.

Aligarh SSP Akash Kulhary told PTI over phone that 21 persons were arrested for fomenting trouble last night at the AMU campus.

"Named FIR has been lodged against 56 persons and others unidentified ones. The process of getting the hostel vacated is on and 25 to 30 per cent of students have left it, the rest are expected leave by evening," he said.

AMU officials on Monday said at least 60 students were injured in the Sunday clashes inside the varsity, which has been sealed and heavy patrolling is underway.

AMU Registrar Abdul Hamid said the police entered the campus late Sunday night and clashes occurred inside the campus.

The clashes at AMU occurred shortly after agitating Jamia Millia Islamia students in Delhi turned violent, forcing police to use batons and tear gas to disperse them.

Hundreds of students gathered at the trauma centre of the Nehru Medical College Hospital in Aligarh, where the injured are being treated.

NMCH CMO Nisar Ahmed said on last count, around 60 students, most of them having trauma and eye injuries caused by the tear gas, are being treated.

Detailing sequence of events in AMU, varsity spokesperson Shafey Kidwai, in a statement, blamed "lumpen elements" for the trouble at the university.

"Peaceful democratic protests against the CAA was being held in the campus for the past few days, but on Sunday evening, an atmosphere of unrest started enveloping in the campus after violence in Jamia Milia Islamia, New Delhi," he said.

"As tempers ran high, a group of lumpen elements, yet to be identified, started instigating protestors and this resulted in a very difficult situation which threatened to go out of control and could have led to loss of precious lives of innocent students," Kidwai said, adding under such circumstances university declared winter vacation from December 16 to January 5.

Requesting anonymity, an AMU student, who was witness to the trouble, said, "Around 7.30 PM social messages were circulated throughout the campus calling for a general body meeting of students at the university library."
"These messages were not sent by the students union leaders but from some unidentified sources," he said, adding at the library, students raised the issue of Jamia violence and decided to hold a protest near Bab-e-Sayed gate inside the campus."
Another student belonging to the Morrison Court hostel whose brother was allegedly picked up from the hostel around 11 pm said, "A group of policemen forced their way inside the hostel after beating up security guards. They lobbed teargas shell, breaking the window pane of room no 46 which was engulfed in smoke."