Mulla, deshdrohi, terrorist’ slurs used by police against Muslim students at DU

The alleged incident of Muslim student leaders at Delhi University being called religious slurs by the police is one example of the widespread communalisation of the police and the ongoing plight of Muslims, who are continuously referred to as 'mulla,' 'deshdrohi,' and 'terrorist.'

Two student leaders, Shahreyar Khan and Annan alleged that they faced assault and religious slurs such as 'mulla,' 'deshdrohi,' and 'terrorist' from the Delhi police during the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections on September 27, The Wire reported.

Shahreyar Khan and Annan, were detained by police at Maurice Nagar Police Station around 7:30 PM following an altercation, even though they were 200 meters away from the polling booth, located near Mother Dairy, a well-known site in the University of Delhi's North Campus, as per The Wire report.

Khan, a former state president of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) student wing for the 2018-19 term, and Annan, affiliated with the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), were conversing with fellow students after polling had concluded.

Reports indicate that the police initiated a lathi charge without prior warning. Allegations surfaced that both students were subjected to verbal abuse, receiving slurs such as "mulla," "deshdrohi," and "terrorist."

Khan, currently enrolled in the Campus Law Centre (CLC) batch of 2021-24, claimed he was physically assaulted by the police during the incident. He asserted that the police were directed to disperse students from all political affiliations near the polling booth but were specifically targeting them despite their distance from the location.

Khan alleged that the police did not take action against members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), which is linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), leading him to believe that the actions taken were deliberately aimed at those opposing right-wing groups.

The detainment reportedly escalated when police officer Manoj Kumar Meena allegedly ordered officers to beat Khan. Following this command, Khan claimed he was dragged away and assaulted while facing communal slurs. He highlighted his medical condition, sarcoidosis, which he stated the officers ignored during the assault.

The situation intensified as Khan mentioned that after being placed in a police van and threatened, his phone was confiscated, preventing him from reaching out for assistance. He was held for nearly two hours, with police allegedly planning to leave him on the roadside. His eventual release came only after intervention from a professor who arrived at the scene.

Annan, who was detained alongside Khan, reported that while he did not experience physical violence, he faced similar verbal abuses. He suggested that their detention was politically motivated, pointing out that the police had received orders to remove student leaders from the vicinity of the polling booth, highlighting that they were targeted despite their distance from the actual voting location.