On Wednesday, the Aligarh Muslim University Students’ Union (AMUSU) released a statement slamming Uttar Pradesh chief minister Adityanath for putting the blame on students for the violence that broke out in the university on December 15.
While speaking in the state assembly, Adityanath had claimed that around 15,000 university students hit the roads in large numbers to “burn” Aligarh city.
“When violence took place on December 15 in Jamia Millia Islamia, I alerted the Aligarh district administration as 15,000 students came on to roads and wanted to burn down the city. The on-spot police personnel did not enter the campus until they got a written permission from the AMU authorities. Following the attack by students where stones and petrol bombs were hurled, several police officials, including the DIG, were injured in the attack,” he said.
“Even after the brutal attack the on-duty cops didn’t enter the varsity until they received a call from the Vice Chancellor. Later, mild force was used by the cops.”
In the statement, the AMUSU has said that what Adityanath said is “absolute falsehood and contrary to the truth”. It also details how the police broke into the campus on the night of December 15 and turned it into war zone.
According to the students, the police, contrary to the chief minister’s claims, used excessive force on students protesting against violence in Jamia Millia Islamia on the night of December 15.
“Police was prepared and motivate for violence. They were determined to crush the campus movement against the new citizenship law and inflict the maximum pain on students. In complete violation of standard manual, police used pistols, rifles, stun grenades, single way grenades, chilli shells, plastic pallets, rubber bullets and other weapons against students as mention in their own FIRs,” said the the statement.
They have demanded the immediate resignation of Adityanath and have asked that the judiciary intervene in the matter. “We ask the President of India to take notice of his false claims and seek his removal,” it added.
You can read the full statement below:
AMUSU statement by The Wire on Scribd
Featured image credit: Reuters