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As many as 50 students, who were detained during protests at the Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi on Sunday, 15 December, were released in the early hours of Monday, police said.
Of the 50 students, 35 were released from the Kalkaji police station and 15 were released from the station in New Friends Colony, a senior police officer said.
One of the released students was injured in the foot. He also alleged religious slurs being used against him.
The Delhi Minorities Commission passed an order directing the SHO of Kalkaji Police station to release the injured students taken from Jamia, and file a compliance report before the Commission at 3 pm on Monday.
Protesters allegedly torched four public buses and two police vehicles as they clashed with the police in New Friends Colony, near Jamia Millia Islamia, during a demonstration against the amended Citizenship Act on Sunday, leaving nearly 60 people including students, cops and fire fighters injured.
Police used batons and teargas shells to disperse the violent mob, but denied firing at them. However, videos of purported police firing, injured students in the university bathroom as well as footage of them bleeding emerged on the social media.
Activist Harsh Mander, who was with the agitating students, said that most of the students said they were taken from the library, where the police forced its way in.
"Many of the detained students have injuries. Most of them are saying that they were in the library when the CRPF and police came inside. They were then beaten up violently and taken into custody," Harsh Mander told the media outside the Kalkaji police station.
In a statement released by Advocate Ali Zia Kabir, who accompanied Mander, he said their mobile phones and other belongings were taken away and they were not allowed to record any statement.
Following their release, students confirmed Mander's version, and said they were picked up from the library.
"Police picked us up from the library and surrounded 10-15 of us. Then they made us walk through the campus chanting Shanti, Shanti," Abdur Rahman, one of the detained students told The Quint, upon his release.
Our phones were snatched and abuses were hurled at us. They broke down doors and glass partitions, Danish Khurshid, another student said.
Dildar Khan, father of an 18-year-old who was also taken from the Library, said that he had told his son to get home after seeing the news of violence on TV. Later, he thronged from hospital to police stations, only to find his son at the Kalkaji police station.
Advocate Kabir, in his statement also detailed an ordeal narrated by Chandan Singh, a student, who suffers from a heart condition.
According to the statement, Singh was studying in the library when he was picked up and assaulted along his way to the police station.
“Later, Chandan had fits, fell off from the chair while he was offered food and started gasping for breath,” the statement said.
Following are the students taken to the Kalkaji police station:
Students taken to New Friends Colony:
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