Alumni of National Law School of India University, Bangalore, have condemned the “State sponsored violence” against students of Jamia Millia Islamia, Aligarh Muslim University, Delhi University, Cotton University and other educational institutions across the country.
In a statement, signatories expressed concern over the brutality of the police, which “suggests an objective of targeted persecution and violent repression of dissent”.
“As professionals trained in the law, we are deeply cognisant of the impact that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) will have on the poor and religious minorities. By purporting to extend citizenship to only certain religious communities while excluding others, the CAA cannot claim to be a secular legislation,” they said in a statement.
The statement lists five demands: repeal of CAA and withdrawal of the proposed National Register of Citizens; withdrawal of all police and paramilitary forces from university campuses; an independent inquiry into police brutality against students; the cooperation of all university administrations in securing spaces for their students to exercise their fundamental rights; and withdrawal of all prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
