New Delhi: Two of the front-running central universities of the country, Jamia Millia Islamia and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), witnessed severe protest earlier this week against the killing of five people of the Muslim community in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal, Siasat reported.
The demonstrations on Tuesday and Wednesday were over the police firing at a Muslim crowd in Sambhal during protests against a court-ordered survey of the historic Shahi Jama Masjid. The police action killed five Muslim youths identified as Noman, Naeem, 28, and Mohd Bilal Ansari, 25, according to Siasat.
Students of Jamia held a large protest on Wednesday, November 27. Student parties like the Fraternity Movement and the All India Students’ Association (AISA) were included. The protests here focused on police’s aggression during the survey at the mosque, and protesters pointed out that the incident was another instance of Muslims being targeted in the country. The students condemned the Uttar Pradesh administration and its police action, and they hoisted placards with messages like “Babri will not be repeated” and “#AllEyesOnIndianMosques.”
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, students of JNU ran a protest in which they formed a human chain in Connaught Place in Delhi. They expressed dissent, termed the police action in Sambhal brutality and demanded justice for those affected by the violent incidents.
SFI Jamia, with other organisations, protested against the communal acts of the UP govt, responsible for the brutal killing of 5 Muslim youth in Sambhal district.#sambhalkillings #sfi #sfijmi #sfidelhi pic.twitter.com/KRCZ2DAWRU
— SFI- Jamia Millia Islamia (@JmiSfi) November 27, 2024
The protesters in Jamia Milia accused advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain of inciting the violence. Jain, who, along with his father Hari Shankar Jain, represents the Hindu side in a group of similar cases like Krishna Janmabhoomi and Gyanvapi mosque disputes, is among the petitioners who are against the Jama Masjid of Sambhal, claiming that the shrine is built at a temple site.