Anti-CAA protests: Delhi police hits female students in private parts

Delhi police unleashed brutality on the anti-CAA protesters and hit more than 10 women students of the Jamia Millia University in their private parts, India Today reported on Monday.

The injuries  sustained by the women were so severe that they had to be shifted to a local hospital, doctors at the university’s health care facility told India Today.

"More than 10 woman students have been hit on their private parts. We have found blunt injuries and some have been hit in a way that we had to shift them to Al Shifa because their injuries are serious in nature," the doctors said.

"Some students have also suffered internal injuries as they have been hit on chest with lathis," they said.

"I have been hit on my private parts by cops with boots. One of the woman cops took off my Burkha and hit me on my private parts with a lathi," a student admitted to the university health care centre told the Indian publication.

Nearly eight to nine people were shifted to a local hospital, authorities said, adding that one of them suffered serious injuries and had been transferred to the ICU.

The situation in Jamia became tense after scores of Jamia Millia students and residents of Jamia Nagar got into a scuffle with police after they were stopped from conduting an anti-CAA march towards Indian Parliament.

The protest call was given by the Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC), an organisation of Jamia students and alumni.

The Delhi police and the varsity authorities maintain they had repeatedly asked the protesters to disperse as they did not have permission to march towards the Parliament

A scuffle ensued as policemen tried to stop the protesters. Many of them jumped over barricades to continue their march towards Parliament.

CAA intensifies India, Pakistan conflict

India had passed a new law last year granting citizenship to religious minorities fleeing from Muslim-majority countries — including Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh — but excludes Muslim immigrants.

Known as the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) 2019, the new legislation was an amendment to its 1955 legislation. It proposes to grant nationality to Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jains, and Parsis, who arrived in India before 2015 but not Muslims.

Thousands of people — who see the law as anti-Muslim— have taken to the streets in India against the CAA triggering violent unrest. A southern state imposed curbs on public gatherings to preempt further demonstrations.

Many university students who were protesting against the bill were arrested by the authorities as well.