‘Separate Probe Not Needed’: Delhi Police Deny Brutality in Jamia

Delhi Police told the HC that Jamia violence was a “well-planned” incident and not just a “student agitation.”

Delhi Police, while replying on the petitions regarding the 15 December Jamia violence, told the Delhi High Court that the allegations of police brutality are an "utter falsehood" and there is no need to conduct a separate enquiry as the Delhi police is already probing it.

On 15 December, 2019, during an anti-CAA protest led by Jamia students, a section of protesters had torched vehicles and indulged in stone pelting following which the police retaliated with lathi charge and tear gas, eventually storming the campus.

CCTV footages from that evening, accessed by The Quint, had also shown Delhi police entering the library inside the Jamia campus beating up students, even those who were allegedly not involved in the protest, breaking CCTV cameras and college furnitures.

A video, reported by the NDTV, also showed a policeman drawing out his gun and opening fire.

A batch of petitions had sought the constitution of a fact-finding committee comprising former Supreme Court or High Court judges and medical assistance to all injured students along with compensation among other things.

In its preliminary affidavit filed before the court, Delhi police said that:

“In the garb of student agitation, what happened appears to be a well-planned and orchestrated attempt by some persons, with local support (who were not students), to intentionally perpetrate violence in the area”.

Delhi Police Says ‘Have Evidence’ But Gives No Details

To ascertain this, the police has cited "electronic evidence (videos and photographs)" but did not give any details of what these evidences show.

It further said that the "number of police personnel, who were injured, during the incident" indicates that the intention of the mob was to disrupt the law and order situation in the area.

Delhi police claimed, on the day of the violence, local leaders and politicians, had instigated the mob by raising provocative and inciting slogans. Again, there were no evidences cited for this but the police said, "from the conduct of the mob and provocative slogans which were being shouted by the mob, it was clear that the intention of the mob was not to stage a peaceful protest, but was to indulge in some violent activity."

It claimed that it was “only due to unavoidable circumstances, as contemporaneously captured in electronic evidence gathered by respondent (Delhi Police), that it became imperative for it to enter the university which was being used as a shield by rioters to pelt stones and other lethal objects on the police force”.

Delhi Police on ‘Indiscriminate Arrests’ Claims

The police also dismissed the allegations of "indiscriminate arrests of students" and said "Out of the persons temporarily apprehended for the purpose of verification, those who were students, were handed over by the police authorities to the proctor, who was called by the Police, who identified the students andmaccepted in writing of having received them. No student was ever arrested or detained either in the police lock up or otherwise at that time, nor any student is arrested or detained till date. The entire proceedings are initiated upon a false factual foundation.