New Delhi: Jamia Millia Islamia students alleged that Delhi police officers hit a varsity student “on her private parts” in an incident that took place on Monday, February 10 evening.
Speaking to News18.com, a female student said, “They were pushing us aside; they had all this gear on. They were saying that they are not using batons, but when we were in the crowd and stranded, they were pushing us and were hitting us below the belt. They were hitting us on our legs. There is a woman student who has been severely injured on her sensitive parts, which is not good. There was also a stampede-like situation, where people got choked and nauseated. That is what happened with me also. I fainted twice. We had no space to breathe.”
Talking to IANS, Safoora, one of the core members of Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC) claimed, “I was caught between 4 policemen who refused to budge even though they saw that I couldn’t breathe at all and I was fainting…I fell down. I was between their legs for more than 5-6 minutes. They kept ignoring me.”
“One of my friends found me…he saved me. I wouldn’t be alive otherwise. When he begged them to give me space to breathe they kept taunting him. It was terrorising,” she added.
The doctors who attended the injured students stated, “Most of the injured students have complained about being hit on the stomach, others have talked about severe neck pain due to dragging from the neck.”
“More than 10 woman students have been hit on their private parts. We have found blunt injuries on some of the protesters,” the doctors said.
Jamia Millia Islamia Vice Chancellor Najma Akhtar, along with other senior officials of the varsity, visited Al Shifa to see students injured during the stand-off with Delhi Police earlier in the day.
A senior varsity official said: “Though there was no baton-charge by Delhi Police but some instances of scuffle had left minor injuries to our students. Najma Ma’am went to see them.”
Earlier in the day, an anti-CAA protest march to Parliament called by the Jamia Coordination Committee was blocked by Delhi Police after the protesters were stopped near the Holy Family Hospital which is within walking distance of Jamia Millia Islamia.
(with inputs from IANS)
