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Jamia Teachers' Association and student community distance themselves from violence

Written by : TNM Staff

The Jamia Teachers' Association at the Jamia Millia Islamia on Sunday condemned the violence in and outside the campus and said it was not part of the arson incident reported in south Delhi.

It also appealed to students to stay away from such "direction-less" protests led by local political leaders. "Jamia practices and preaches peace. JTA condemns all sort of violence near Jamia or anywhere in India," it said in a statement.

It said an emergency meeting of extended Executive Committee has been called in the JTA office on Monday to "discuss the misuse of Jamia's name in the protests," it said. 

According to reports, soon after the violence broke out around New Friends Colony in New Delhi, police tried to disperse the protesters by using baton change and firing teargas shells, some of the "outsiders" ran towards the Jamia Millia Islamia campus and tried to hide there. The police personnel then entered the campus and blocked the gates to nab these miscreants.

According to tweets and FB posts by students, police also entered the library and used tear gas shells.

The student community of Jamia Milia Islamia also sought to disassociate themselves from Sunday's violent incident. "We have time and again maintained that our protests are peaceful and non-violent. We stand by this approach and condemn any party involved in the violence. We have maintained calm even when students have been lathi-charged and some women protestors have been badly beaten up. Media personal are a witness to these events," the student community of Jamia Milia Islamia said in a statement.

"Violence by certain elements is an attempt to vilify and discredit genuine protests. We appeal to everyone to share this message," the statement added.

Protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in New Delhi turned violent on Sunday after a few buses were set to fire. The students of Jamia Milia Islamia were blamed for the violence since the agitation call was reportedly issued by the varsity pupils. But Jamia students have denied their involvement categorically.

Saimon Farooqui, the national secretary of Congress-affiliated National Students' Union of India, claimed the protesters were peacefully sitting on Mathura Road when policemen tried to "trouble" a couple of them, who resisted. They said they returned to campus as the protest turned violent and were protesting on campus peacefully. Some of the protesters claimed that the police charged at them when they were holding a peaceful agitation.

Ever since the enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Bill (now an Act) this week, protests were seen at Jamia Millia Islamia. A powerful photograph of three girls standing on a wall and addressing a sea of reporters has come to define the protests against the exclusion of Muslim immigrants from the Act.

The institution was shut for its winter vacation on Saturday till January 6 following the lockdown on its campus.

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