Jamia violence: Delhi Police visits university library after CCTV footage of crackdown on 15 Dec; personnel to analyse extent of damage

New Delhi: A Delhi Police Crime Branch team visited the Jamia Millia Islamia campus on Tuesday as a series of videos of the 15 December violence inside the university emerged over the past few days. Four videos have surfaced online of the incident, the latest being on Monday. The team led by Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Rajesh Deo visited the varsity’s library that was badly damaged during the alleged police action inside the campus, according to officials. This is the first time that a police team is visiting the campus for investigation after the violence, they said. [caption id=“attachment_7782061” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of students of Jamia Millia Islamia University clashing with the police during a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act. PTI[/caption] Members of the team analysed and videographed the extent of damage to the library. They also visited the proctor’s office, the officials said. The case is being probed by the Crime Branch. “We need to examine many people in connection with the case and also need to collect evidence. We have also requested the Jamia administration to share all the videos that they have related to the incident, a senior police official said. There was a tactical reason why police didn’t go to the varsity earlier, he said. “We wanted the situation to normalise and wanted students to finish their exams. We are also trying to identify those who were seen in the video,” the officer said. In a video that emerged on Sunday, paramilitary and police personnel can be seen thrashing students in the library. Two other videos, which appeared hours later, showed some youths with covered faces entering the library. In the Monday video, police personnel can be seen raining batons on students who were trying to escape. Women students can be seen moving out while pleading with the police and one of the policemen is seen breaking a camera. On 15 December, police had used batons and teargas shells to disperse a violent mob during a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). They entered the university campus, saying that rioters had taken shelter there. However, Jamia students had denied that they were involved in the violence and had alleged police brutality. On Monday, a Delhi court directed the police to file a status report on whether it was investigating the officers who had allegedly barged into Jamia Millia Islamia and lathi-charged students. The court has also sought an overall status report from the Delhi Police on the ongoing investigation in the case related to the violence near the varsity during the protest.