New Delhi: The Delhi Police in its Action Taken Report (ATR ) on Jamia Millia violence made an admission in court that it failed to distinguish between rioters and students because of 'low light'.
The report said that 'As it was not possible for police to distinguish between the trapped students and rioters, who were found to be having petrol bombs earlier, all were asked to be evacuated with their hands up. Since this exercise was undertaken as it was already dark in late evening.'
The report also stated that rioters had damaged the lights within the university campus and, therefore, it was difficult to distinguish rioters and innocent students.
Metropolitan Magistrate Rajat Goyal had directed the Delhi Police to file an action taken report on the plea of Jamia Millia Islamia University seeking registration of FIR against police action on students at the university in December.
In their reply to the court, the Delhi Police submitted, "With a view to contain the violence and maintain, the law and order, the police was constrained to enter the university campus. The police personnel could successfully contain the violent activity by temporarily apprehending 52 persons under section 65 of the Delhi Police Act…It is submitted that the said action was required to be taken in light of the ongoing violence from within university campus and to rescue innocent students trapped inside and to ensure normalcy."
Police said that the unruly mob which was slowly retreating back, instead of dispersing, strategically went inside the Jamia Milia University campus and by using the university campus as a cover started pelting stones, tubelights and other objects resulting in grievous injuries to police personal and public persons. All through this, they raised extremely provocative slogans
JMI had submitted that despite several requests and various complaints to the police seeking registration of FIR and taking action against the accused person neither any FIR has been registered nor has any investigation been carried out.
The police, in their reply stated that complaint of Registrar JMI is "generalised in nature and since the individuals have already filed Writs in the Hon'ble High court of Delhi seeking redressal of their general grievances. It is, therefore, requested that the present application may be kindly dismissed."
The court was hearing a petition filed by varsity's Registrar, through advocates Asghar Khan and Tariq Anwar, which sought directions to register an FIR under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act among
others.