Amnesty Condemns Delhi Police Action Against Jamia & AMU Students

Police takes away a student in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh Muslim University.

(Photo: PTI)

Amnesty International India on Monday, 16 December, slammed Delhi Police for its 'violent' action against Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi and Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) students who were protesting the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).

Amnesty said the allegations that the police brutally beat up and sexually harassed Jamia students must be investigated and those responsible must be prosecuted.

The human rights body's executive director, Avinash Kumar, in a statement said the arrest of protesters violates India's obligations under international law, specifically the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) – to respect and protect the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, set out in Article 19 and Article 21 of that treaty.

“Students have the right to protest. Violence against them cannot, under any circumstance, be justified.”

Avinash Kumar, Executive Director, Amnesty India

The report referred to media reports about the lathi-charge against the protesting AMU students.