As a part of the ongoing protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 by students across the country, the students of National Law Universities have also expressed their solidarity with the students of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) and Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). This is in response to the excess force used by the police against the students of JMI and AMU on Sunday during the protests in and around their campuses.
A joint statement released by the student bodies of National Law School, National University of Advanced Legal Studies, National Academy of Legal Studies And Research, Maharashtra National Law University Mumbai, Maharashtra National Law University Nagpur, Hidayatullah National Law University, National Law University Odisha and National University of Study and Research in Law said that there has been an excessive use of power by the state against dissent.
“Over the past few days of the protest there has been use of tear-gas shells, lathi charge against the protesting students, along with the forceful entry in their university premises, cutting off internet services and physical assault of students thereafter. This is clearly an example of excessive use of force by the state against mere expression of dissent,” read the statement.
Slamming the police who attacked the protesters in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, the statement said that this action by the law enforcement authorities was “completely out of line and unwarranted and disproportionate.”
“In a healthy democratic and political environment, dissent is a necessary component... These actions against the protesting students have violated their constitutional protections endangering their lives and brought shame to our democratic values that we cherish and strive to uphold,” according to the statement.
The statement comes in the wake of various protests across the country’s educational institutions against the Act. On Sunday, students of JMI held protests in and around their university campus against the Act, which took a violent turn as the police used tear-gas shells and engaged in lathi charge against the protesters. Many students were injured in the clampdown and many were detained by the police. Students of AMU in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh also conducted protests against the Act, leading to action by police against the protesters. As many as 60 students of AMU were injured in the clashes, apart from a few policemen. On Monday, students of many educational institutions including prominent IITs held protests inside their campus as a mark of dissent against the government and support to their counterparts in JMI and AMU.