The Uttar Pradesh Police on Saturday allegedly lathi-charged Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) students who were protesting over the disappearance of JNU student Najeeb Ahmed. Over 150 students were detained.
‘Forced to take action’
The police officials justified the lathi charge saying they were forced to take action to prevent the students from blocking traffic. According to Aligarh SSP Rajesh Pandey, the students didn’t have necessary permission to carry out the protest.
“We used mild force because the police had to prevent the students from blocking the rail traffic. An FIR has been registered against 150 students arrested during the protest,” said Mr. Pandey. However, the AMU Students’ Union (AMUSU) president Faizul Hassan said the police lathi-charged the “peacefully protesting”students in the “most brutal way”.
Head injuries
Rejecting Mr. Pandey’s claim of “mild force”, Mr. Hassan said several students were injured and some of them even sustained head injuries and fractures.
“This was a completely unjustified police action... Many students have been injured on the head. Some of them even complained of fractures and are undergoing treatment at hospitals,” he said, demanding action against the police personnel responsible.
