Anti CAA protests: Foreign Universities in solidarity with Indian students

Hyderabad: Harvard, Columbia, and Stanford condemn police violence on Jamia Millia students; called upon Amit Shah to resign or curb the situation

Resign or curb the situation, says foreign universities while condemning police violence on Jamia Millia students in Delhi

Condemning the police crackdown on student protestors at Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University, around 19 foreign universities have issued a joint statement. The universities termed the act as “unconstitutional” and “discriminatory”.

They also expressed their concern about the Chief Justice of India’s statement, terming the protests as riots. The foreign universities said that this would characterise the issue as a situation only the police have to handle.

Emphasising on the constitutional right to protest, the statement said that the entry of police into educational institutions is a violation of the law and requires a probe. The university also spoke about the death of five protestors in Assam

The statement has been signed by students and alumni of Harvard University, Columbia University, Yale University, and Stanford University, among others. The foreign universities demand a cessation of and robust investigation into police violence. They have also called upon Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah to resign unless he does not take a step to curb the violence.

The Citizenship Amendment Bill, passed by the Rajya Sabha on December 11, had sparked a nationwide outrage among students of major universities. Following this, the students of Jamia Millia Islamia had taken out a peaceful protest on December 15. However, Delhi police had barged into their university and fired tear gas shells, injuring over ten students while others are recuperating. Meanwhile, in Aligarh as well, similar protests had taken place following which police used force on the students.