24 People, Including Some Kashmiri Students of AMU, Booked For Anti-CAA/NRC Protests

New Delhi: Twenty four people, including some Kashmiri students of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), have been booked for instigating and participating in anti-Citizenship Amendment Act(CAA) protests and blocking an important link road in the city, a police officer confirmed on Saturday.

Anil Samania, Circle Officer Civil Line, Aligarh, said the AMU students, including some from Kashmir, have been booked for instigating anti-CAA protestors and staging a roadblock in Jeevangarh.

"Action has been taken against 15 people including a former vice president of AMU Students' Union Sajjad Subhan Rathar under Sections 149, 150, 341 and 291 of Indian Penal Code for inciting people through provocative speeches. The case has been registered against them on the basis of CCTV footage and probe by police," Samania was quoted as saying by local media.

The CO also alleged that these people had been ‘provoking’ women and other anti-CAA protestors in the city.

According to Aligarh police,  a letter has been written to the AMU administration furnishing photos of the students against whom action would be taken. 

Commenting over the First Information Report (FIR) filed by Aligarh police, Farhat, a Kashmiri student of AMU, told NewsClick: "The protests against CAA, NRC and NPR have nothing to do with any particular state. At AMU, students have been critical of these divisive laws and hate strategies adopted by the Narendra Modi regime and students are protesting without any regional discrimination. Naming Kashmiri students in the FIR is the continuation of the witch-hunt strategy adopted by the Indian state as it has criminalised dissent in all forms. We want to tell the state that injustice will be fought back and we will not be silenced by farcical charged filed against us. More than 20 FIRs against students have been lodged since CAA was passed by Parliament but they have failed to break the resolve of the students."

Bilal Mazid, a research scholar in AMU’s history department, said: "There is huge ambiguity among Kashmiri students regarding the list of Kashmiri students named in the FIR as the university administration hasn't provided any list. However, in news reports only Sajad Subhans name surfaced from the list. It is believed that some students had gone with Sajjad to speak at the gathering at Shah Jamal against CAA and NPR. How many of them were from Kashmir no verified details about that has come up till now."

NewsClick approached Sajjad Subhan Rathar for his version.  He said: "Aligarh police is targeting Kashmiri students at the behest of the state government. Several students went to Jeevangarh area to join women who are protesting against CAA, NPR and NRC but the police registered an FIR against me and few other Kashmiri students. The CO city of Aligarh Anil Samania booked me for taking university girls to protest site but there is no evidence to establish such false claims, but we are Kashmiri and that is enough for the district administration to take action against us."

According to students, several women students were booked for protesting against CAA and NRC. 

Meanwhile, AMU Registrar Abdul Hamid said that the university administration would take suitable action against the students after !reviewing evidence and information provided against them by the police.”

It may be noted that Aligarh police had earlier booked seven AMU students in another FIR lodged in connection with the protest.

Also Read: Anti-CAA Protests: Police Files FIR Against 150 Unnamed People, Including AMU, Jamia Students