The heavy police response is linked to the wave of Muslim protests across the country triggered by the Citizenship Amendment Bill, which has sparked riots in the vicinity of Jamia Islamia University in the Indian capital. The area has become a hotspot of clashes with police, although the students say the campus itself has until now been peaceful. 

Earlier on Friday, police stopped a protest march from leaving the university campus, firing tear gas and detaining more than 40 protesters. They said the tear gas was necessary, as students pelted them with stones. However, the situation has then escalated during the weekend.

Fresh footage showed police entered the campus on Sunday evening, and chaotic scenes of students reacting to the . Chief Proctor Waseem Ahmed Khan said that “no permission was given” for the officers to enter, yet they did so “by force.” Khan told ANI News both the staff and students were “beaten up and forced to leave the campus.”

Students inside the campus insist their protest was non-violent, and claim that the police entered the college and indiscriminately fired tear gas. Videos shared on social media show chaos in the university’s buildings, as smashing glass and what appear to be riot control weapon shots can be heard.

Police meanwhile said they had “no problem” with the university iteself.

“Our only interest is to push the mob back, so law and order can be restored in the area. We have no problem with university students,” Deputy Police Commissioner Chinmoy Biswal told ANI. He added that six of his officers were injured in the recent clashes.

DETAILS TO FOLLOW