Police, CBI should not probe Jamia violence, say petitioners

New Delhi : The Delhi High Court was told by petitioners in a matter relating to the Jamia violence, that the Police should be the last agency to investigate this matter.

"Police should be the last person to conduct this inquiry. Even CBI should not conduct the same as it is governed by the Centre and the protest was against Centre's CAA," said senior advocate Colin Gonsalves while appearing before a division bench of the High Court presided over by Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan on Tuesday.

Gonsalves asked for an independent inquiry to be conducted by a Special Investigation Team which should be headed by an officer (a list of the same was submitted to the court) in whom the public has faith.

The senior counsel also read out various testimonies about the police brutalities. "They were using abusive language. I guess the students were getting the first lesson of communalism in the police force," Gonsalves said after reading out one of the testimonies.

The submissions came while the court was hearing a batch of petitions relating to the violence that broke out in and around Jamia Millia Islamia in December last year.

While hearing the matter, the court asked Gonsalves who recorded the testimonies that he was reading.

"We recorded it, we asked them to write it on a piece of paper which we later gave to the NHRC and also to the police. They were recorded just a day after the violence broke out," said Gonsalves while responding to the query of the court.

Gonsalves also aired some video clips before the court which showed police barging into the library, beating up the students and breaking the CCTV cameras. "When the girls ran to the washrooms of the reading rooms, they smashed the bulbs and assaulted the girls," Gonsalves submitted.

He submitted before the court that no FIR against the police has been filed for the brutality. "We want the entire CCTV footage to be placed on record under an affidavit filed by the Commissioner," Gonsalves said.

"These videos will prove the criminality of the police", he argued, questioning how can the police be trusted when their affidavit states that there was no evidence against any police official.

"I want to ask the police, How can we trust you with the investigation?," the counsel questioned.

The batch of petitions sought action against the alleged ruthless and excessive use of force by the police and paramilitary forces against students within the university.

The pleas have also sought registration of FIRs against the erring police officers.