Jamia Millia Islamia Vice-Chancellor Najma Akhtar on Monday, 16 December, asserted that the varsity will not tolerate police presence on campus and demanded a high-level inquiry into the crackdown on university students.
“Do not target Jamia and malign its image,” Akhtar said.
"Police entered the campus without permission. We will not tolerate police presence on campus. They scared our students with police brutality. There has been huge damage to university property," Akhtar said at a press conference in Delhi.
Akhtar said that the violence had been perpetrated by outsiders, adding that police did not distinguish between students and outsiders when they entered the campus and engaged in clashes.
"We will file FIR on damage of property and police action on students, we want high level inquiry. I will present facts to the HRD Minister," she added.
Akhtar said the university should not be targeted and its image should not be maligned.
"What about the damage to the psyche of students? The appeal will be made to HRD Minister to ascertain who was at fault about yesterday's crackdown. We had already declared vacation because we wanted our students safe,” she said.
Akhtar added that the administration is not forcing any student to vacate hostels.
"We are making an assessment of the damage. We are not connected to any political outfit and will not allow anyone to come here," she said.
Jamia Registrar A P Siddiqui said, "It was a war-like situation. We questioned the Joint Commissioner of Police about firing and they denied it. There was no stone-pelting on cops from inside the campus by students. If some outsider has done so, we have no means to verify it."
(With inputs from PTI)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)