Jamia Violence Anniversary: Students, Umar Khalid's kin take out candle march, stopped by police

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Several students organised a candle march to mark the first anniversary of the Jamia Millia Islami violence on Tuesday and former JNU students'' leader Umar Khalid''s mother and sisters also participated in it, officials said. However, they were stopped by police and asked to disperse, the officials said.

The students claimed that 14 of the protestors, including Umar Khalid's mother and sisters, were detained, but the police denied it.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) RP Meena said a group of protestors had assembled at Batla house for a candle march to mark the anniversary of the protest against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

"The police team removed the agitators from the spot. Meanwhile, three women also accompanied the protestors. The protestors were then counselled regarding COVID guidelines and were requested to return to their respective homes. No one was taken to the police station," Meena said.

"On the occasion of the anniversary of anti-CAA agitation and police crackdown on students at Jamia Nagar in 2019, a candle march was held. But the local police detained 14 people, including three women (mother and sisters of Umad Khalid) for holding this candle march," a protestor claimed.

The December 15 protests had spiralled into violence after a section of protesters, including students and residents, tried to march to Parliament against the Citizenship Amendment Act but were stopped by police at Mathura Road.

As a section of protesters started pelting stones and set buses and private vehicles on fire, police retaliated with lathi-charge and eventually stormed the campus.

Seven people, including former Congress MLA of Okhla Asif Khan, have been named by Delhi Police in its FIRs. Police also charge-sheeted JNU PhD student Sharjeel Imam and Jamia student Asif Iqbal Tanha.

Umar Khalid was arrested in the case on October 1 and is in judicial custody. He was earlier arrested in September in a separate case related to larger conspiracy in the northeast Delhi riots which erupted between anti-CAA protesters and those supporting the Act in February, killing over 50 people.

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