New Delhi: Jamia Millia Islamia Chief Proctor Waseem Ahmed Khan claimed on Sunday that Delhi Police personnel entered the university by force without any permission and beat up staff members and students who were forced to leave the campus.
Police said they entered the university campus only to control the situation, after protesters indulged in violence near New Friends' Colony area in south Delhi. Condemning the police action, university vice chancellor Najma Akhtar said students who were inside the library have been taken out and are safe.
Soon after violence erupted in south Delhi during a protest against the amended Citizenship Act, police entered the Jamia Millia Islamia campus and blocked the university gates to nab some "outsiders" who had entered the premises to hide, sources said.
"Police entered the campus by force, no permission was taken. Staff members and students were beaten up and forced to leave the campus," the chief proctor said.
Escorted by police, youths could be seen coming out of their hostels with their hands raised. Some of them claimed the police also entered the library and "harassed" the students.
Both the Jamia Millia students' community as well as the Teachers' Association have disassociated themselves from the violence and arson that took place near the university Sunday afternoon.
The vice chancellor said its students were not involved in the violent protest which saw buses being torched. "In the evening, when the agitation started, my students had not given a call for it. They were not inclined towards the group," she said.
The group had about 20,000 people, according to TV channels, she said. "...which university can have such a huge crowd. At least not my university. It was a Sunday and we had already declared winter vacation on Saturday so half of the students had already gone home," she said.
Condemning the violence during the protest, she said it was wrong to say that they were from Jamia. She alleged that the police ran after the protesters, some of whom entered the varsity.
"Police ran after them. They could have at least asked us but they just entered the university. They broke open our library and troubled our students," she alleged.
Asked about students sending out distress messages to their friends in other universities, she said students have been taken care of. "None of the students are hurt and they are safe," she said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Chinmoy Biswal said four buses and two police vehicles were torched during the protest, adding six policemen were also injured.
He said stones were pelted from inside the varsity at police personnel, forcing them to use teargas to disperse the "violent mob". Biswal said some people have been detained but did not give details.
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