Ever since the passing of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019, a rising tide of dissent and protest has been sweeping across the country. The student community across India has been particularly vocal in criticising the divisive, unconstitutional nature of the Act and the proposed nationwide NRC.
The entire country is witness to the most brutal police repression on protesters targeting even minors and students, particularly in minority institutions. On December 15, police launched an attack on students of two universities. While the brutality and unprovoked assault in Jamia Millia Islamia in the national capital shook the conscience of the nation, a far more bloody assault on the students of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) in UP went largely unnoticed.
To ascertain the incidents of violence, a fact finding team led by Harsh Mander, Nandini Sundar, John Dayal, Natasha Badhwar and several others visited AMU on December 17, 2019.
Their report was released on December 24, at the Constitution Club, Delhi, in a press conference addressed by human rights activist Harsh Mander, senior journalist John Dayal, filmmaker Natasha Badhwar, social & women’s rights activist Syeda Hameed, author Githa Hariharan, professor Atul Sood, and former IPS officer Chaman Lal.