I was choked, says Jamia protester as police use violence to disperse crowd

New Delhi: As protesters from Jamia Millia Islamia started marching from the varsity's gate number – 7, trying to make their way towards the Parliament on Monday, they were met with violence from the police, who roughed up numerous protesters.

There was heavy police deployment and a three-tier barricade had been placed, which didn't allow the protesters to pass through.

The demonstration, which included Jamia students, alumni, and the surrounding locals, tried to pass the barricades they were stopped by the police who used force to disperse the crowd.

"Why can't they allow us to peacefully march towards Parliament. We are peacefully protesting and it is our right to protest against this draconian law," said a Jamia student who was present at the crowd.

As the demonstration tried to pass the barricades, where a scuffle broke out between the protesters and the police, injuring more than ten people. An ambulance was present in the vicinity that took the injured students to the nearby hospital.

The demonstration was against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The police, meanwhile, used force to disperse the crowd. However, students in the crowd said that they were beaten up by the lathi.

"I was in front where the police was pushing us violently, then very subtly they used lathi and beat me on my leg," said an injured student, whose leg was broken.

Another protester said her clothes were torn due to the scuffle. Many elderly were present at the protest site, where a group of women claimed they were beaten up.

"They call us terrorists, but look at them using, beating and tearing women's clothes," said one of them.

Meanwhile, a group of students had tried to cross the barricade, however unable to do so, they sat on the barricades and started raising slogans. But after a while students on the barricades were shoved and beaten up by the police.

"They tried to choke me," said a student, who was on the verge of fainting. Even though the police asked the students to take back the demonstration to gate number – 7, the protesters refused and asked the police to let them march peacefully towards the Parliament. Many students were also injured in the scuffle, where the stand-off continued for more than seven hours.