New Delhi: The Jamia Coordination Committee, a group of students who have been coordinating protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act on campus, has released a video which it says was captured by CCTV cameras in the university library on December 15, 2019. That is the day when the Delhi police reportedly used excessive force against students, including tear gassing the library, after some violence outside the campus.
Students and eyewitnesses have been alleging since December 15 that the police assaulted them, but the police has been denying these claims. One law student lost his eye in the violence. An internal Delhi police also found that three bullets were fired, though the police had initially claimed that it did not shoot at students.
In the video, the veracity of which Khabri Baba has not yet been able to confirm, police can be seen violently using their batons on students inside the library. The students are either sitting at desks or trying to exit the library. Some police personnel and some students have their faces covered.
Exclusive CCTV Footage of Police Brutality in Old Reading Hall, First floor-M.A/M.Phill Section on
15/12/2019
Shame on you @DelhiPolice @ndtvindia @ttindia @tehseenp @RanaAyyub @Mdzeeshanayyub @ReallySwara @ANI @CNN @ReutersIndia @AltNews @BBCHindi @the_hindu @TheQuint @BDUTT pic.twitter.com/q2Z9Xq7lxv— Jamia Coordination Committee (@Jamia_JCC) February 15, 2020
The video is timestamped 6:08 pm, and starts at the point when police start hitting students. Footage from what was happening in the library before that has not been made available. The clip goes on for 49 seconds.
Several people have been sharing this purported CCTV footage on social media, saying that it clearly proves that the police used violence and excessive force against students. A number of Congress leaders too have criticised the police action based on the video.
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“See how Delhi Police is badly thrashing the students. A boy is reading a book but a cop continues to beat him. Home Minister (Amit Shah) and Delhi Police had lied that they had not entered the library, thrashed the students,” senior party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra wrote in Hindi. “After watching this video, if no action is taken against police action at Jamia… the intention of the government will be exposed.”
Shashi Tharoor called the video “horrifying”.
CCTV footage has emerged showing police assaulting Jamia students without provocation. Horrifying. Exemplary punishment must be levied on these lawless policemen. https://t.co/3AXhSuKf7A
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) February 16, 2020
A fact-finding report by People’s Union for Democratic Rights had earlier asserted that Delhi Police had attacked Jamia students with an intent to inflict “maximum damage”. Students across the country had protested to show solidarity with Jamia Millia Islamia.
