Jamia Students Release CCTV Footage of Delhi Cops Assaulting Unarmed Students in Library on Dec 15

New Delhi: A group representing the students and alumni of Jamia Millia Islamia has released CCTV footage purportedly showing Delhi Police personnel assaulting students in the university library on the night of December 15 when violence rocked the campus amid anti-citizenship law protests in the area.

The video, tweeted by the Jamia Coordination Committee, shows the police entering the library on the first floor of the MA/MPhil section. The time-stamp on the CCTV footage shows the cops entering at 6:08pm and raining blows on unarmed students using lathis.

The Jamia Coordination Committee said it received the video from an "anonymous" source. It also said the university has shared video footage of the police action in the library with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), which is probing the episode.

“A video of the incident has surfaced... We have taken cognizance of it and will investigate the matter,” news agency ANI quoted Praveer Ranjan, Special CP, Crime as saying on Sunday morning.

News18.com could not independently verify the video.

University officials said they had not released the footage.

The police action on students had marked a turning point in protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act with anger at the police and opposition to the controversial law blurring into a unison of protests at campuses across India.

Police had barged into the campus after four buses were torched in New Friends Colony nearby during protests against the citizenship act in the locality.

According to students, police laid siege to the campus, fired tear gas shells and those injured were not even allowed to get medical attention. Students said windows of the library were smashed and around 50-60 students were inside when policemen gheraoed it.

Previous video footage shot by students inside the library had showed dozens of young students — including several women — scrambling for cover, cowering beneath desks, and jumping over metal and broken glass dividers as they attempted to flee. A law student of the university had alleged that he lost vision in one eye due to the police action.

Defending the action, the Delhi Police had claimed that some people part of the violent mob that burnt the buses had managed to enter the campus the police followed them in pursuit.

Students and teachers at Jamia, however, said when that police started shooting tear gas inside the university, there were only students inside.

The new CCTV footage again prompted questions on the police action, with the opposition demanding action against the cops.

“CCTV footage has emerged showing police assaulting Jamia students without provocation. Horrifying. Exemplary punishment must be levied on these lawless policemen,” Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said.

Party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accused the Union Home Ministry and Delhi Police of lying.

CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury demanded an FIR against the Delhi Police. “Why hasn't an FIR been registered against Delhi Police so long after this action against students in a library in the heart of Delhi? As Home Minister has justified police action, courts should take suo moto cognisance of the footage and initiate action against those responsible,” he said.